Puppet or Not?
by REDemption Love and Lies
Summary: [full summary inside] [mainly SasuSaku. NaruHina, SuiKari also] The moment that Uchiha Sasuke was taken over by Orochimaru, the world was set in a disaster course. Many villages have fallen, Uzumaki Naruto (the last saviour) was murdered, and nobody can possibly defeat Orochimaru who now has the powers of the Uchiha. Three shinobi are sent to the past by Uchiha Sasuke...
1. The Mission in the Past

**FULL SUMMARY: **_The moment that Uchiha Sasuke was taken over by Orochimaru, the world was set in a disaster course. Many villages have fallen, Uzumaki Naruto (the last saviour) was murdered, and nobody can possibly defeat Orochimaru who now has the powers of the Uchiha.  
Three shinobi are sent to the past by Uchiha Sasuke to make sure that this does not happen. The three shinobi include; Ami Hozuki, daughter of Hozuki Suigetsu and Uzumaki Karin; Renji Uzumaki, son of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata; and lastly, Uchiha Toshiro, son of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.  
The time they are sent to was just before the Five Kage Summit, and the three are forced to watch the events occur from then on with a few twists along the way._

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Hello all, this is my new story that I have been writing for quite a while. Well, I hope that you guys enjoy as much as I have written it. For once, I will not post many author's notes, other than if I get some nice reviews or have some news that you all need to know - such as if I have assessment, holidays etc. I don't know if this will be an awesome story for everyone involved, but I honestly hope that you guys will give this story a good chance because I have tried real hard to make this as good as I can make it.

Now for some information, the story will be updated on either Friday or Saturday. If I miss a week, it will be because I have assessment, holidays (so in this case, it may be two or more weeks) and lastly, if I'm grounded (which is very likely at this point of time). So, if I don't update, I really am sorry.

Lastly, this story will not be romantic right at the start. But there are references to SasuSaku-ness throughout. But... not straight up kissing or making out or anything. Also, no lemons. I can't write them because I do not wished to be banned. So, if you want the uncensored version, please review for me to PM you with the full version of chapters. There will be lime, however, so I hope that will suffice. For those who do not have registration on this, I will make a Hotmail account with a name similar to my pen name if I can. The details will be on my profile - when I actually make it. So, write in your review your email address or send me an email.

To get the record straight, me starting a new email does NOT have a 100% chance of me actually getting to make it. So if the address is not on my account, that means that I have not made it. That is all, my fellow FanFictioners, thank you.

One last thing, many things are from the manga from this (they're quoted directly and lastly, there are differences in much of them so **please **read over them so you do not miss anything.

There are **many **spoilers, including Tobi's **true **identity, so if you wish to not be spoiled, do not read on.

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**Puppet or Not?  
Chapter 1 - The Mission in the Past**

* * *

"Where…" a raven-haired teen who looked to be maybe in his early twenties looked around. His bright green eyes which were inherited from his mother looked around the rough shrubs and deep forest. "Are we?" he asked. The man frowned to himself and looked to his teammates who seemed to be still knocked out. His eyes fell on the female first, she was one of his most important people. The female had long, crimson hair which was kept back in a low ponytail with her bangs covering her pale skin. The raven-haired teen activated his kekkei genkai; bright emerald went to bloody crimson within seconds. Three black commas spun around his pupil before spacing out and became stationary.

"Ghnn…" moaned the other raven-haired teen. He opened his eyes to reveal pearly eyes with a slight, very slight, blue tint to them. Three stripes streaked his cheeks and he bit his lips before sitting upwards and frowning. He then glanced at the other awake man. The two were watching each-other sceptically; both trying to figure just what the hell they were doing in the middle of a forest. "Toshiro… do you know why we're here? I'm sure Orochimaru didn't get this big of a hit on us." ebony eyebrows became a 'V' sort of shape, "Plus, I don't think that I can sense him. Byakugan!" Veins surrounded his pearly eyes as the blue tint seemed to disappear even more than before.

The Sharingan-user shrugged his shoulders. He was sure that if _he himself_ couldn't sense Orochimaru, then the Byakugan also had not much chance of doing that either. "Did you find anything, Renji?" Toshiro mumbled and watched his teammate scowl even more. He then slumped his arms; obviously giving up. Renji then looked to the crimson-haired woman with a raised brow. Toshiro frowned, "She's fine. I checked her chakra earlier." The Sharingan-user hissed. Renji grinned and as he did that, the kunochi groaned before sitting upwards and taking in her surroundings rather slowly.

"T… Toshiro-kun… Where, where are we?" the crimson-haired woman whispered as she watched the still red-eyed Toshiro who seemed to be watching everything around him. "Toshiro-kun?" she said a little louder and he snapped out of his thoughts. The twenty-year-old watched his female teammate with soft, tender green eyes. She was the only person who had gained this type of look from this man. He had lost quite a bit; his father becoming the number one enemy, against his will; Sakura losing her left eye and being sent on a quest by Toshiro's father to find the original Mangekyou eyes that had become unusable for his father. The twenty-four year-old man turned to his one year younger teammates, his hair which spiked at the back gently blew with the warm winds which came with the beginning of spring. His eyes were on his girlfriend's face; her purple eyes narrowed, they both knew that something was up.

Renji, on the other hand, was looking around a little dorkily and seemed to not know exactly what was going on. He flared his chakra slightly and waited for the attack of Orochimaru. But it never came. Instead, the group were trapped inside a black space which looked quite a bit like the night sky. Toshiro growled darkly at his very, very idiotic teammate. "Why in the hell did you do that, you moron?" the Sharingan-user growled.

"Uh… you see…" Renji did not really know what he could say. He then rubbed his charcoal hair and grinned childishly before poking his tongue out at his best-friend. He then muttered impishly, "I thought it'd be best to see if Orochimaru came for us… Hehehe…" The Uzumaki then sweat-dropped.

Toshiro blinked. Once. Twice. "The hell you moron!?" he yelled before allowing a chakra infused fist to crash into his male teammate's head. Renji rubbed his head with crocodile tears beginning to grow in his eyes. "You dobe!" he growled lowly to the poor, poor Uzumaki who was still rubbing his head with a howl. Ami sighed and then rolled her eyes at her teammates' behaviour.

She then stiffened, picking up a chakra signature which was not noticeable by the two fighting shinobi. "Guys…" she said in a pained tone, causing Toshiro to stop his verbal fight to look to his girlfriend with a worried expression. She pointed a finger at the darkness that engulfed the team. Understanding what it was that she wanted, Toshiro and Renji activated their kekkei genkai simultaneously. "What do you see?"

"Nothing… but I can sense something." Toshiro mumbled and allowed his crimson gaze to fall onto the redette. She nodded her head before sighing. She was sure that she actually felt a chakra. Toshiro merely only sensed _something_. That did not mean that it was a chakra.

Footsteps then filled the team's ears. Toshiro dragged out his katana from its sheath and allowed the three tomoe in his eyes to twirl and spin. "Well… I guess I should actually explain to you why you three are here." A voice that make Toshiro's heart stop. His… His father's. Not Orochimaru's. His _father's_.

"Dammit… Orochimaru… I didn't know you even had access to Otou-san's voice…" Toshiro felt his body shake with the very, very hateful emotion of anger. The twenty-four year-old let out a savage growl. He _hated _it when Orochimaru played with his feelings. It had happened to his mother; causing her to hesitate and ended up with her losing her left eye. "Why… Why the hell do you do this, huh!?"

A deep breath was heard as Orochimaru allowed himself to be shown in Toshiro's father's body. Toshiro's father looked around his late twenties. His eyes no longer had the purple markings and they were a deep and smouldering onyx. Toshiro frowned and froze once more, waiting for Orochimaru to say something. "I am not _that man_, don't confuse me with such… filth. You now have a mission."

Ami allowed her mouth to gape as she watched with a little confusion, "What do you mean? You're Orochimaru…" she said with a soft tone. Toshiro moved beside her, clearly knowing that he cannot do anything against the Mangekyou's genjutsu, at least not with his father's eyes involved. He allowed his pale, long fingers to enclose around hers. She squeezed his hand gently as the team watched the other man watch the whole thing with soft eyes.

"Like I said, I'm not that bastard." The other man said with a sigh and looked a little bored with the entire situation. "Now, to your mission. I have sent you to the past with a jutsu that will stop me from being able to take control of my own body for a little while. The time here is just about a week or so before the kage summit. You three need to find a way to change the look of the future. I'm sure that you, Renji, wish for your father to be alive? And I'm sure that you, Ami, wish to see your mother and father together again." Sasuke said with a groan. He had to say this to get the team members ready – and wanting – to do this mission. If they are like that, that would often mean in a much higher success rate. He then glanced to Toshiro, Sasuke really did not want to do this, but… "Toshiro… I'm sure you don't want your mother to possess the Mangekyou Sharingan for a replacement for her eye, do you?"

The said adult stiffened and allowed his fists to clench together tightly, this caused his fists to become even paler than usual as he gave the Uchiha before him death glares. "Shut the hell up! I still don't believe that you're _not _Orochimaru and I _definitely _don't believe you when you say that we're in the past!" Toshiro growled, showing off the way that he could often look like his father.

"… I don't blame you, honestly. But… you will believe me. Especially since you're in the Land of Iron right now. Well, at least the border. Just listen to me and head down to the Samurai Bridge, it is a week's run from here. Convenient. Now, you'll more than likely run into Kakashi, Naruto and a guy called Yamato. It would be best not to let them know your identities. Behind a boulder, there are three black dusters with a hood. When you arrive into a village before the bridge, buy whatever you wish." Sasuke muttered and then smirked, "I know that you'll more than likely not listen straight up, and I cannot blame you. The bridge is North-East of here. Head there when you have fully woken up from this genjutsu." He then nodded his head, obviously saying what it was that he wanted. "Later." The older Uchiha mumbled before disappearing. The black, starry world around them began to blur before becoming green with the forest that now surrounded them.

Toshiro looked up at the bright blue sky, he was now on his back. Had he fallen? Was that all a dream? He sat up slowly, and felt a little nauseous from the action. He instantly regretted that. "Ami?" He mumbled and looked for his red-headed girlfriend who looked to be in the same position as him, other than the fact she had not yet sat up. She just looked at the sky stupidly. Renji had also sat up and watched his female teammate with a little worry. "Do you want to check out the bridge?" the Uchiha asked as he frowned. He wanted to know for sure if he really _was _in the past.

"W… Wait! Are you going to let me _decide as well_!?" Renji screeched and then raised his fist in a way suggesting that he would hit the Uchiha across the head. Toshiro shot a crimson glare in his teammate's way, instantly stopping the Uzumaki from hitting the Uchiha. "… Okay, Ami… what are we going to do?" the black-haired Uzumaki asked as he watched the red-head with his pearly eyes.

Ami sat up and then rubbed her eyes. "I guess we should actually go and check it out. I… I do want our time to be… be back to the way it should be without Orochimaru screwing everything up. Even though it might be a trick, all three of us know that if there's a chance to change what has happened, we should do this." The Hozuki said and then bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth.

"Hai…" Toshiro nodded his head, understanding what the medic was saying. "We should collect those dusters then. Like… _Otou-san _said, it would be best to not let anyone know our identities." The Uchiha muttered and then stood up, swaying a little with a slight woozy feeling. The twenty-four year-old stretched and then watched the other man on his team with a frown. Renji had made no sign whatsoever to stand up, and actually seemed like he was deep in thought.

He then helped up Ami and allowed the young woman to lean on him. He watched her underneath his dark eyelashes. "Do you know what he's thinking of?" Toshiro asked as he placed a chaste kiss a top of her head. Ami sighed and murmured a 'no'. The Uchiha then looked to his other teammate who was still motionless and looked like was not going to move for a while. The young man rolled his eyes before letting out a light grunt.

"Okay!" Renji stood upwards and clapped his hands together enthusiastically, "We will go and stop the future from turning into total bullshit where everyone dies! Dattebayo!" the Uzumaki cried and then grinned, showing off his sharpened fangs that were gained from his father.

Toshiro sighed and then looked to the boulder that Sasuke had mentioned, "Here. It's over here." The Uchiha said and pointed his pale finger at the large boulder. Renji jogged to the spot and looked around before picking up black objects. He tossed two of them at Toshiro, the Uchiha caught them while still holding onto Ami with one arm. He sniffed and then looked at the objects. They seemed to be rather expensive material, it was light but would more than likely keep one warm during the cold weather in the Land of Iron. Toshiro was sure that he would need to get new clothing if he was to go to other places.

The young Uchiha wore a black shirt with a high collar and zip, the sleeves were in a singlet sort of style. He also wore black pants with matching shinobi shoes. Toshiro also had the Uchiha symbol imprinted on the back of the shirt. He was allowed to wear the shirt since he had learned _Firestyle; Fireball jutsu_. His mother had allowed Toshiro to know of his true heritage rather than hiding it from him. Toshiro was often teased when he was younger because of the fact he was an Uchiha. Many had thought that the raven-haired child would have turned on them; exactly like his father had done all of those years ago. It saddened the younger Toshiro immensely, but now he was used to it and really did not care about their bullshit.

Ami wore a black tank that reached the top of her stomach and three-quarter shinobi pants. She wore fish-netting which covered all areas which were not covered and wore black shinobi boots. Her red hair, when down, reached the bottom off her butt and when up, reached above it. The young woman had a very similar style to her mother, but her mother always wore it down. Ami kept her headband as a belt.

Renji wore a very similar t-shirt to his father, but rather than being bright orange, it was a dark blue which made him less noticeable. He wore the same shade of blue coloured pants and wore his headband as a collar. The coal-haired man then looked to the other male on the team, "Hey… Toshiro, we should probably go in as missing-nin or unlisted-nin. I mean, if we somehow ended up in the Hidden Leaf, we would have a hard time since we aren't in their books."

Toshiro, realizing this, tore off his headband and looked at it for a moment. He knew that he could not keep it around, so he tossed it into the bushes and looked to the others, silently telling them to do the same thing. Ami hesitantly did the same action while Renji seemed fine with this and pitched it into the woods.

"Let's get going." Toshiro muttered and let go of Ami. He tossed her one of the two dusters he was holding before putting his own one on. Ami giggled and unzipped the zip on his shirt. Toshiro rolled his eyes and nuzzled the young woman's head before breathing in her scent and sighed.

* * *

About four days later, the three entered a small village which was much like a ghost town. Then again, it was about twelve o'clock at night. Toshiro gazed over at the houses cautiously, his chakra was hidden as well. If a shinobi came across the group, they would just think they were civilians and more than likely would not attack them, but that would be wishful thinking, especially in this world.

"Should we take a break for the night?" Ami asked as she looked around. Toshiro shrugged; he really did not care about staying the night. If the red-head wanted to stay, he would, but he would rather stay on the path towards the bridge. Renji shook his head and glared over at Ami playfully; unlike Ami, he did not want to stay.

A scream then broke the group's silence. Toshiro looked around and automatically allowed his chakra to flare. He jumped up onto the closest roof top and felt another chakra; not his teammates, flow to life. A shinobi. The same female scream sounded out again and Toshiro hurried along to its destination.

He looked down and saw a woman trying to free herself from the grip of another man. He chuckled and tore out a kunai before quickly tearing apart her pants. "Hey!" Toshiro yelled and landed gracefully beside the rapist. The man tore himself away from the woman, knowing full well that she would not try to escape, especially since chakra bounds covered her wrists.

"What the hell you want, runt?" the large brute growled as he smirked at the Uchiha. Toshiro smirked back, knowing that the rapist would not have seen it. The woman cried out again, silently begging Toshiro to save her. "Well, yer gonna answer?" the man snarled before charging his large body at the Uchiha. Too bad Toshiro was much too quick for the man. He dodged easily and flung the man into the wall with his strength which was gained from his mother. The large brute slammed into the wall and he growled, spitting out crimson blood.

"How about you run along before you get some permanent damage." Toshiro growled as he cracked his knuckles. The man wiped his mouth before spitting out some more blood. He then grinned, his rather weak chakra flowing like a lantern in the darkness. That is what it felt like to Toshiro thanks to his chakra network. He then smirked, he was only using a little of his chakra. So, this man did not know what the Uchiha was capable of. "You know… you've just sealed your fate, moron." Toshiro growled and charged at the man with a kunai slipping from the black sleeves of the duster into his hand.

Ami and Renji showed up and watched as their teammate easily took out the enemy shinobi. Renji grinned; he knew that Toshiro would save anyone who needed to be saved. He also believed in the Will of Fire, so that made the Uchiha's look on life much different to any other Uchiha (unless Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui were counted). When the enemy was defeated, the Uchiha easily destroyed the chakra bounds on the woman's wrists. She silently thanked him and dropped a small bag of coins into Toshiro's hands before running away from the place where she was nearly taken. Toshiro, already knowing that his teammates were watching, looked up and allowed his chakra to flow back into a state where it would not be able to be sensed.

"I think we should stay the night, Ami. It might be best to stock up on some supplies while we're here." Toshiro said as he tossed the crimson bag of coins from one hand to the other. The group of three were not really caring any money on them. So they would more than likely need to steal or gain money in a more honourable manor. Renji knew this as well and already knew that they were more likely going to be stealing it. Of course, Toshiro would only steal from those who would barely notice the absence of a small sum of money. That was just how he was. The Uchiha was known to be a rather prominent thief in the Land of Fire, mainly because he was rarely ever caught. Not many people actually know that he was the one who was stealing the money, so he had no shinobi after him for assassinations. At least, not for that manor.

Many lords and activists would often go for the twenty-four year-old Uchiha, either for the eyes or for help to conquer another. Of course, Toshiro makes sure that the people around him have no chance of being enemy ninja. If Toshiro says 'no', half the time the shinobi are ordered to kill him. In the bingo book, Toshiro and his team are rated as A-class shinobi. They are rather powerful, but not strong enough to actually take down shinobi who were above their rank, unless the S-class shinobi had a handicap of some sort. See, in Toshiro's own time, he was never able to take down Orochimaru. This was mainly because the snake had taken over another Uchiha with much more visual prowess.

Orochimaru was also after Toshiro for his body, the man knew that Sasuke's body would not last forever and he would need another Uchiha to still have access to the Sharingan eyes. This made Toshiro a high-risk target since Orochimaru often ordered S-class missing-nin to capture Toshiro. The Uchiha often got out of these situations; usually by fleeing, but there was one instance where he was nearly killed because Orochimaru himself had shown up. Sasuke's senses helped the snake in finding Toshiro when he had barely any time to escape.

Toshiro's mother, Sakura, had actually intervened and gained Toshiro the time he needed to escape. That battle had left Sakura with an injured eye and a mission to find Sasuke's original eyes. It seems that Sasuke himself is able to retake control of himself, even for a little while, and is able to do whatever he wishes with his body. "Hey, Toshiro… are you okay?" Ami asked, noticing that the Uchiha had zoned out for whatever it was.

"Hn…" Toshiro grunted and then tucked the money into his shuriken holder. "Let's go then. We have about four hours to sleep. We can sleep in a hotel if you guys want. Or we can stay outside and have more money to buy some stuff tomorrow. Your choice." The Uchiha mumbled.

Ami and Renji pondered about it for a moment. They then both agreed on the same thing, "Let's just camp out!" Ami cried and then nodded her head agreeing to what she was saying. The Uzumaki nodded and then grinned. Toshiro sighed and then lead the group back outside of the village.

* * *

Determined blue eyes scanned the area ahead of him, he was ready to beg for forgiveness in his best-friend's place. The Raikage was the man that he wants to talk to. He _needs _to make sure that Sasuke can be forgiven. That is something that is important to him. He will not allow his friend to be killed, over… over… _this_. Sure, it is understandable why the Raikage would want Sasuke dead, but that is not important to Naruto.

"Naruto, slow down. We don't need to go this quickly." Yamato said from behind the orange-clad shinobi. Naruto growled and then slowed down his pace slightly, this allowed Yamoto and the scarecrow to catch up easily. The Uzumaki wanted to get to his destination as quickly as he can. "Naruto… we should stop for a while, it's really late." Yamato motioned at the sky and Naruto skidded to a halt.

The masked shinobi then sighed, "I know you want to talk to the Raikage as quickly as you can, Naruto, but we need to make sure that you're awake in case we are attacked. I honestly don't think you wish to be injured, now do you?" Kakashi asked and ran his fingers through his silver hair, brushing away a few specks of snow. Naruto clutched his white coat closer to him, feeling the bite of the cold wind that blew past the two adults and one teenager.

"Fine…" Naruto grumbled and collapsed in the snow. He crossed his legs and wrested his tanned cheek against his cold hand, he nearly shivered but did not show it. The blond frowned before sighing. He was a bit weary of just sitting around. He was not tired. How could he be? Kakashi and Yamato followed his action. The wood-nin was the first to keep watch for the next few hours, then Kakashi. They did not even give Naruto a time to watch over them. Perhaps they wanted him to get as much rest as the Uzumaki possibly could? Not that Naruto cared. It was not like he was actually going to get _any _sleep. He was too busy thinking about his best-friend gone rogue.

Yamato stood up and climbed up the pine tree and sat at the top, surveying the area around them. Naruto blinked before closing his eyes, he would at least _try _to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Ami was the first to wake up. She stretched her arms above her head and shook off the recently fallen snow. It had only just started snowing in this area. It was very light, however. The sun was also still out. Ami took a deep breath and exhaled, watching as the white air flowed out with her breathing. She had to say, it was rather chilly. It was lucky that those dusters were as conveniently placed as they were. This made the woman happy that she was not freezing cold. She glanced at the sleeping Uchiha, he looked peaceful. It was rare to see him in such a state of mind.

Toshiro cracked his eyes opened and looked at the sky. His bright emerald eyes glinted in the small amount of sunlight. "Hn…" he grunted and sat up before rubbing his head. The hood of the coat was off of his head. His raven hair was spilled out on the snow. He sat up and shook his head. The snow fell off and danced before hitting the white ground.

"Morning, Toshiro-kun." Ami murmured as Toshiro watched her with questioning emerald eyes. She smiled at him. Toshiro nodded his head and then looked to the snoring Renji. An anger vein popped on his forehead and he punched the poor Uzumaki in the stomach, causing him to leap upwards and look around for the enemy. Well, culprit. "It's alright, Renji. We should probably go and get some food for the trip. I'm hungry…" the red-haired woman yawned and Renji nodded his head in agreement.

The walk back to the village only took a little while. The stalls were all open and people were chattering amongst themselves about innocent topics. The first stall that Toshiro and his group went to was a stall that seemed to be filled with food that was good for a breakfast. Ami walked in and looked around. It seemed nice. Really nice. She sniffed and took in the scent of boiled eggs and fried bacon. She was extremely hungry. She had not eaten for a couple of days. Toshiro, easily seeing that the young woman wanted to eat here, handed her some of the money before putting it back into his bag. She bought a group serving of various different meals.

"Hn." Toshiro grunted and ate down his portion of food. He would not show that he was enjoying the meal. He had much more pride than that. Ami watched in slight amusement and then began scoffing down her own food. Renji had finished his meal much quicker than the others and actually looked at Toshiro with puppy dog eyes, silently asking him to be fed some more food. Of course, the young Uchiha ignored these looks and then blew fire in the Uzumaki's direction. The man gasped and then ducked under the table to avoid the bright orange flames. People in the store watched in awe at the young Uchiha's ability to use his chakra without actually using handsigns. Of course, Toshiro used handsigns for actual jutsu, but this was just to shit stir the Uzumaki. It worked.

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**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them. _

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive critism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**


	2. The Kage Summit

_An eight-year old Toshiro watched as the silver-haired man performed the jutsu once more. A ball of orange flames flew across the pier and over the water, making a mirror image of the jutsu. Kakashi turned to his student, "Do you think you can do it?" he asked, tone soft._

_Toshiro nodded enthusiastically and rushed to Kakashi's side. He then grinned and vowed to himself that he would make Kakashi proud, "Okay…" Toshiro performed the hand-signs that were now drilled inside of his head. He took a deep breath of air and created a circle around his lips with his index finger and thumb, "**Fire style; Fireball jutsu**!" he called. … but nothing happened. The child watched, heartbroken and looked to the mask-wearing man he called both his teacher and uncle._

_"It's fine. That was your first time, after all." Kakashi said and then tilted his head as the mask crinkled, "You'll get it."_

_But this did not convince Toshiro, "Otou-san… he would not be proud of me if I don't get this right."_

_"I'm sure he's-…" but Kakashi was cut off by the young Uchiha heir._

_"He wouldn't be proud of me… I mean, I know **some **jutsu and even more so than that stupid moron… but it isn't enough if I can't even get the clan's jutsu right…" Toshiro mumbled with a pout before looking back up at Kakashi who was watching him with kind eyes. "It's… so **annoying **when it's possible that I'm **nothing **compared to when he was younger."_

_Kakashi then chuckled, "You know… your father didn't get it right away."_

_"How… do you know that?" Toshiro asked, now amazed._

_The silver-haired jonin smiled lightly underneath his mask, "I think… your father trusted me enough to know that. He wouldn't have even told that to your mother, that I'm sure of."_

_"Oh. When?" Toshiro asked, now curious._

_Kakashi felt really, really nostalgic now, "When I first taught him the Chidori…"_

_"If I… get this jutsu… will you teach me the Chidori?" Toshiro asked, now curious._

_The jonin ruffled his nephew's spiky hair, "Even if you didn't get this, I would have taught it to you, Toshiro."_

_"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei."_

_"Didn't I tell you to call me with '-oji'?"_

_"Eh? But you're teaching me at the moment!"_

_"Ah… yeah. You wanna try again?"_

_"Mm…" Toshiro nodded and once more positioned himself for the jutsu. He stringed together the hand-signs needed and allowed his chakra to flare at the desired amount, "**Fire style; Fireball jutsu**!" This time, flames erupted across the water in a perfect fire ball sort of shape. The flames soon dispersed as they flew into the water. The young Uchiha heir then jumped around, "I did it! I did it!" _

_Kakashi placed his hand on the child's shoulder, causing him to stop what he was doing and watched Kakashi with his bright green eyes. "You can now wear the Uchiha symbol on your back… ask your mother about the shirts that I gave to her…" Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, "You deserve them now."_

_"Eh?" Toshiro grumbled, confused._

_"Just do it."_

_"Ah… okay?" and with that, the young Uchiha ran back to the Uchiha estate to go and tell his mother._

_Kakashi looked up to the sky and watched as the clouds floated past, '**You'll be proud of him, Sasuke… I know you would be…**'_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 2 – The Kage Summit**

* * *

"So… what do you want us to now, Toshiro?" Ami asked in a hushed tone as they stared down at the meeting being held between all of the kages. They had only just arrived to this place about an hour ago and all of the preparations were still being made. Toshiro's raven brows knitted together as he thought of what his team and he should do. He had no clue about the events of the _actual _Kage Summit itself, he merely knew of the events that followed afterwards. He then had an idea, he faced his two cloaked teammates who were silently waiting for the Uchiha's orders. "Look, we should split up. You two go to the Samurai Bridge and I will remain here. I'll follow Otou-san or Danzo, I'm not too sure of who just yet… but I'll follow one of them. Don't engage Obito or anybody that you may run into and don't let your identities be known. Understood?"

With a chorus of 'hai', both Renji and Ami left with a black puff of smoke which did nothing to alert anyone. Toshiro frowned; this place was not under the best protection. Perhaps staying here was a wise choice. He then shook his head. The Uchiha looked down and saw the Raikage, Ay, began to have a temper tantrum. Toshiro has met Ay before and was actually taught a few things from the Raikage. That was when Renji was being taught how to control his half of the kyuubi's chakra. Killer Bee was his teacher for that. It seemed that Naruto had wanted Renji to learn off of Killer Bee, rather than teach his son how to control the beast.

An explosion and burst of white smoke stopped Toshiro's thoughts and he looked down to see a pale… man with a wicked grin taunting the kages. Abruptly, Toshiro activated his blood-line limit and glared down at the lips of the weird creature. "_Sasuke-kun is somewhere in here! Uchiha Sasuke is here! Do you wanna play hide-and-seek with Uchiha Sasuke!?_" the man chuckled and then reigned his head backwards. The Uchiha then realised just who this was, this was Zetsu. At least, the white side of Zetsu. The other half was Madara. And that bit was missing. Toshiro frowned. He knew that right at this moment, Madara was being revived. Or at least was giving orders to Kabuto or maybe even talking to Obito.

Ay instantly stood up and leapt across the table to choke the white creature. It seemed that the female, the Mizukage, was trying to stop Ay from killing Zetsu. Toshiro frowned and jumped onto the railing. The shadows covered him, and his chakra did not alert anyone. His crimson eyes scanned the scene below him. Toshiro then noticed Danzo. He had a straight face, but the slight amount of perspiration proved that he was worried for his own life. Like Sasuke, Toshiro had quite a bit of hate for that man. He knew of what had happened to the Uchiha clan and solely blamed it on Danzo for ordering the massacre. If it was up to Toshiro, he would have killed the man that had pulled the strings from the sidelines and pushed both Toshiro's father and uncle into the darkness.

Danzo then looked in the exact direction of where Toshiro was and then had a very, very slight look of panic. '_Did Danzo think…?_' Toshiro thought, but then noticed that the scarred man disappeared. Toshiro stood upright on the railings and then jumped back onto the solid ground. He had to find the bastard. Quickly.

Quickly, Toshiro disappeared from the troubles of the Kage Summit and headed where he could sense an Uchiha's chakra – his father's chakra. The young Uchiha wanted to watch the fight between his father and the Raikage as well as the one with Gaara where Sasuke had first activated his Susano'o. Toshiro also had the ability to use the Susano'o, but could not actually get into it unless he was beyond pissed, which made it rather useless to him at this very moment. An explosion signalled the arrival of the Uchiha – at least the one of this time. Toshiro allowed his eyes to bleed red once more as he gazed down at the man that had decided to blow the building up. "Hn…" he grunted, knowing full-well that he would not be heard.

"_Where's Danzo, Karin?_" Sasuke asked as he looked around, his own Sharingan making itself present. Toshiro continued reading the group's lips until eventually, a group of samurai appeared. Sasuke growled and began attacking his enemy with no restraint while Taka did so, at least in a less cruel manor.

Juugo sighed, already knowing what had happened. "_Zetsu… it was him._" He muttered as more samurai poured in from all sides, surrounding Taka. The Uchiha let a smirk fall on his face. Toshiro frowned. '_It's as if Otou-san's enjoying this…_' the Uchiha heir thought with the scowl remaining on his handsome features.

'_Otou-san and the others… they disappeared!_' Toshiro noted and looked around. One of the samurai murmured, "_Did they escape already_?" he looked around and saw a cloak which had a kunai holding it up. He then heard a noise and looked over in the direction of the noise to see Sasuke staring down at him as if the man was _way _below the Uchiha. … Then, the man collapsed. '_That's the power of…!_' Toshiro did not have time to finish and re-centred his attention on the hiding members of Taka. They were hiding behind a half-way wall, perhaps to re-group.

Suigetsu growled and glanced over at Karin who was mirroring the same expression that he bore on his face. "_That bastard Zetsu… I won't fucking forget this!" _Suigetsu swore. Toshiro noted the expression on Suigetsu's face and then smirked to himself in triumph. He was worried over Karin, it was easy to see that. Juugo seemed to not notice. Then a whole bunch of samurai appeared with small blades out. They allowed their chakra to flow through their weapon and they were ready to destroy their enemy.

Karin frowned, "_Samurai can control chakra as well?_" she said with obvious confusion. Toshiro then moved a little before feeling a sharp object at the back of his neck. He frowned and turned his head to see two samurai behind him. The Uchiha deactivated his kekkei genkai and was sure that the samurai did not see anything. "I am not your enemy." Toshiro mumbled and then disappeared in black smoke before reappearing behind them with two shadow clones ready to assist the Uchiha. He placed his kunai against their throats. "If you aren't careful, you'll end up dead. And it won't be from my hand." The clones dropped the kunai, and they disappeared into smoke as well. The clones then allowed their fingers to make contact with the back of the samurai's armour. They laughed, but then they collapsed.

"Hn…" Toshiro grunted and then moved the bodies of the samurai to a safer location. It was not him who had knocked them out. Who was it? Toshiro looked around and saw nothing. He let out a low growl before moving towards another spot to get a better view of the fight that was going on. He would find out who had helped him at a later date, firstly, he needed to watch this fight and pick up the abilities of the Taka of the present. He knew of the abilities of the ones from the future, but was sure that they were now much weaker in this time period.

* * *

The samurai then charged towards Taka with their weapons ready to kill. Suigetsu's mouth was slightly agape as he watched the group before his team, "… I had no idea that they could even use chakra like that. This… is intense." Suigetsu mumbled with a little hesitancy.

Karin watched the Uchiha with a light blush adorning her cheeks, "Oh! Sasuke-kun, what are you doing!?" she yelled as Sasuke watched his enemy with a hate-filled look.

"I'm…" he paused and then gave the samurai each a hate-filled glare, "… really pissed off right now. Come on. Come at me. I won't go easy on you…" Sasuke mumbled quietly, but he knew that the soldiers before him heard easily. And they did as they were told. They charged at one of the last Uchiha with a want to kill.

The samurai that was the leader of the pack yelled out, "Neither will we!" and sped towards the Uchiha at a relentless pace. Sasuke's Sharingan began spinning in his sockets as the crimson seemed to create a sea of red in his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, the attack that the samurai tried to launch was turned into nothing. A few gasps filled the samurai's side. One said, "He deflected it!?" Another said, "… That looked like our technique." They were all confused.

Juugo looked to the red-haired Uzumaki, "Stop with the samurai. Try and find Danzo."

She watched Juugo with a little confusion, "But what about the samurai?"

The Curse Mark wielder looked to them gravely and scowled, he knew what had to be done. "I'll take care of them." He mumbled and then added, "You find Danzo."

Karin then stiffened and felt a chakra surge. She looked at Sasuke and noticed a dark and ominous chakra clouding Sasuke. The chakra was so, so dark. She felt a shiver run through her as fear seemed to capture her heart. Suigetsu placed a hand on her shoulder and snapped her out of it, "What is it, Karin?" he asked.

Karin opened her mouth to say something, but Suigetsu noticed that Sasuke was not slaughtering the samurai as if they were nothing. '_This… why…?_' the shark-man thought before saying aloud, "I told him not to kill them!"

Juugo let out, "That's…"

Karin shivered and whispered loud enough for only her teammates (not Sasuke) to hear, "Sasuke's chakra is way different. I've never seen him in such a way… And, it's even darker than the second stage of his Curse Mark. As well as being colder."

"Nani?" Suigetsu mumbled and watched Sasuke with worry. "This is bad then… But we have to do what Sasuke says, Karin. Just… don't say anything to Sasuke, yeah?" Karin nodded her head at Suigetsu. Karin froze once more, the white-haired missing-nin noticed it again and looked at her with worry. "Sasuke! Something's coming! And it's big!" she warned.

Sasuke, clearly not listening, continued taking out the samurai until their bodies littered the ground like trash. He glared at them once more before sending the same crimson gaze towards his own teammates.

An explosion then occurred above Sasuke. He glared up at it and watched as a large man fell from the ceiling. The large man glared down at Sasuke, "Brat! I'll teach you about my anger!"

Sasuke then charged forwards while Juugo and Suigetsu jumped into the battle, ready to help out their teammate. Juugo called out, "Don't rush in alone!" He then groaned before grunting, "He's too hot-headed."

Sasuke leapt into the air, ready to attack the Raikage with his Kusanagi. The other guy beside the Raikage then used a Suiton-style jutsu before adding in a Raiton-style, creating an attack that would electrocute Sasuke if he got too close. But the Uchiha was covered in water, which did nothing to help the situation.

Sasuke allowed the Chidori to flow out of his own body to help him from being zapped by the Raikage's right-hand man's attack. He then landed swiftly with his katana still in hand.

Darui weaved a few more hand-signs, "Our intel was correct… it's Raiton-based."

* * *

"How far until Samurai Bridge, Ami?" Renji asked as he jumped down onto another tree branch before leaping outwards once more. Ami closed her eyes and allowed her chakra to zap out. She had improved her mother's ability by allowing her to notice certain plant types and animal types. There was a plant which was only found at Samurai Bridge, and Ami had felt it before… so she could use this ability to its best.

After a few seconds, she gave a sidelong glance to her teammate. "About another fifteen minutes and we should be there. I'm sure we'll beat Taka and maybe even Danzo and Obito if we're lucky."

"Hm… I'm sure we will, I mean we're faster than Danzo. At least, I hope so. So… are we just staying on the sidelines to just watch Sasuke murder Danzo?" Renji asked as he weaved past a large branch.

Ami's crimson eyebrows fell into a frown. "We shouldn't mess with the future too much. If we do that, the outcome of our time might be even worse than it is now. That'd be really bad for us."

"It's kinda hard to be able to beat how bad the future is now… I mean, Toshiro's dad was possessed by Orochimaru, Otou-san was killed because of that, your father was bribed into working with Orochimaru and Toshiro is on the verge of falling into the darkness. I guess the future is pretty fucked up as it is now. What could we possibly do to ruin the future even more so then that? All of the five nations are under Orochimaru's rule because there is no shinobi able to even comprehend Sasuke's abilities. It's bloody scary…" Renji mumbled.

Ami showed a sad smile, "But what happens if what we do here… makes everyone end up in that big gen-jutsu that Madara and Obito wanna cast?"

"I think that'd be better than how bleak our future is, Ami. But I understand that we shouldn't change what doesn't need to be changed. I'm just scared for Toshiro, you know how he is." Renji said.

"I know…" Ami whispered more to herself then to Renji, "… he will act on his instincts and emotions if he sees something that isn't right. I don't know how he's supposed to cope with seeing his father try to kill Sakura. It isn't something that a son or daughter should see. I've seen it with my parents, and it isn't right. Not at all."

Renji frowned at the memory of Suigetsu attacking the village and trying to take out Karin. Karin was left with a few scars on her legs, arms and even one on her lips. She was badly injured because of the man she loved. Suigetsu did not even know of Ami's existence, but he found out when she attacked him for hurting her mother. Suigetsu knew that Ami was his when she turned into water right in his eyes. "When you think about it, it's kinda… sad how much we've all been through…" The Uzumaki muttered and bit his lip.

"Our parents have been through a lot as well. I'm sure that Otou-san's intention wasn't to kill Okaa-san. I don't see him as the bad guy. I think Orochimaru had something to do with it." Ami said.

The coal-haired male looked to the kunochi, "Don't you find it odd that Orochimaru was able to even defeat Sasuke? Sasuke was meant to be on par with Otou-san and the only reason why Otou-san was defeated was because of the mixed powers of both Sasuke and Orochimaru. I know that there was no way in hell that Orochimaru had the power to take out Sasuke and then possess his body. We already know that Sasuke – the real one – is alive in Orochimaru. It's odd though. Sasuke had said that he could take control of his own body, but couldn't do it for a while because of the jutsu that sent us to the past."

"I know. I've been thinking about it a little as well. You wouldn't think that Sasuke would have been easily taken over because of that. Sasuke has repelled Orochimaru before, but why did he fail this time? That's what I don't understand. And don't you find it odd that it seems that-…" Ami was stopped when a cloaked figure landed on a branch right in front of her. Renji stopped beside her and was prepared to weave hand-signs for his shadow clones.

"Don't." The man said. Renji froze. That was… The man moved the cloak so that his face was shown. Onyx pools glinted in the small amount of light in the heavy and snow covered forest. "Do me a favour and make sure that my son does not do anything that he will regret doing. Also, don't change the future into something that is even worse than what we have now."

Renji sighed, already prepared for another speech about not changing the future. And then he looked at Sasuke with a little confusion, "Why are you here? Shouldn't Orochimaru be in control?"

This Sasuke seemed a little hesitant, but answered nonetheless. "Iie. This is merely a genjutsu. One of the many that I have set up for you as well as some others… It would be best to follow the advice in each that is shown to you. Like I said, it wouldn't be the best choice to change the future beyond compare."

"Hai, hai! We already had this damn conversation, Sasuke! Can you at least explain one thing to us…?" Renji looked up at Sasuke with a frown, "Why is it that an elite shinobi like you was possessed by a weakling like Orochimaru?"

Sasuke turned his head, "… He beat me and took my body. That's all there is to it."

"Why don't I believe you?" Ami said as she moved a little closer, without jumping to the next branch.

The Uchiha frowned, "Believe what you want."

"Tch… you Uchiha are all the same, so damn secretive." Renji complained.

Sasuke smirked. "You remind me of your father. It's rather… scary." And with that, Sasuke disappeared like how he appeared by bounding back off into the forest.

"Matte, matte, matte… Is that the only reason why he even came here!? Just to warn us!?" Renji screeched and then pulled at his hair in pure aggravation.

Ami shrugged and then ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to calm herself down, even if it was just a little. "Who knows? It's hard to tell what's going on in the inside of an Uchiha's head."

"Let's get going then…" Renji sighed in defeat and then allowed Ami to leap off first. "Do you think that he was lying?"

The red-haired kunochi did not know what to say and merely breathed, "It's obvious that he doesn't want us to know why he was captured so easily. If he doesn't want us to know, I highly doubt that he would tell us without a hitch. He might tell us when he feels it is time, but I don't think that he would tell us information that is not needed."

"Maybe he wanted Toshiro to know why?" Renji offered.

Ami nodded her head. "That would make more sense. After all, we may not mean anything to Sasuke at all. We're just the children of his teammates."

"Yes, but he cared about his teammates. I'm not saying that he'd have a sob fest if we died or anything but -…" Renji stopped talking and decided it would be best just to be quiet for now. They were getting too close to the Samurai Bridge and if someone like Danzo heard this type of conversation, trouble would surely follow.

* * *

'_Seems like Otou-san is having trouble against the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage…_' Toshiro noted as he used a rather complex genjutsu to make sure that he was not seen. He could now hear all of the voices and found no need to use the Sharingan at this point of time.

More water was gushed towards Sasuke and hit the rib-cage of the ominous, purple Susano'o. '_An Uchiha's ultimate defence… at least if one has the Mangekyou Sharingan_.' Sasuke cupped his eye and then groaned from the pain he was feeling. More blood gushed out from his eyes and he let out a curse. '_But each jutsu has a weakness of some sort, and this one can lead to the blindness of the user. The only way to heal it, or at least make it better is to get the eyes of another Uchiha who has unlocked the power of the Mangekyou. The only logical choice for Otou-san would be… Itachi-oji's eyes._'

Karin slammed to the ground from the impact of the jutsu. Toshiro _wanted _to help her so bad, but knew it would be rather moronic to do that. He would put himself in risk as well as his teammates. Also, the twenty-four year old knew that he would need to use his kekkei genkai to even _try _to save her. He did not want his true identity to be shown, at least not yet or when there was really no need.

Toshiro has not done anything to affect the future just yet, so everything should pan out correctly. Sasuke continued using the Mangekyou's most powerful ability against the Mizukage and Tsuchikage along with the support of their body-guards. Toshiro also wanted to help out his father, again… he would more than likely be killed. Toshiro is even weak compared to his father of this time, Toshiro was sure of that. He was _so _weak compared to the future one, and this one already is proving to be rather powerful.

Sasuke was then slammed against the wall that was past the door. The Uchiha coughed and was forced to drop the purple chakra as the Mizukage rushed out to follow him. Toshiro kept the genjutsu up and followed. '_I hate watching this. It isn't right_.' Toshiro mused and then continued on at a rapid pace.

Toshiro watched as his father heaved from the pain of overuse of the Susano'o. '_Does he really not know the bad sides of using the Susano'o? It hurts. I know that, but yet he continues to overuse it. No wonder he went blind. But I still can only use it when I'm angry…_' The Uchiha from the future then frowned, '_Does that make my Mangekyou faulty? Or is it because I'm not a pure-blooded Uchiha?_' Toshiro shook the thoughts from his head. There was no time to think like that.

The Mizukage gave Sasuke a smile that was rather bitter, "Look behind you… I blocked the wall the first time I attacked." She said with what seemed to be amusement. "This room is completely sealed… there's no way out. I have two kekkei genkai, I am able to use Suiton, Katon and Doton." She said.

The wall behind Sasuke was all melted from the heat used by the Mizukage. Toshiro frowned when the jutsu was performed, Sasuke let out a cry of pain. The Susano'o is being melted from the heat. That jutsu is that powerful. Toshiro's fist became scrunched up so tightly that his knuckles became whiter than the colour of his pale skin.

Sasuke then collapsed. The Susano'o's cage fading away. Toshiro let out a low growl, so low that nobody heard it. '_This is something I **really **don't want to watch. Otou-san is suffering… He kinda deserves it at this moment of time, but…_' The raven-haired shinobi felt his father's chakra become weak.

The Mikukage giggled, "Looks like the fight with the Raikage really did wear you out… Unfortunately, I have no intention of helping you out. It _always _hurts my heart to melt such a good-looking guy, but you're going to have to die." She said as she pointed at him with a polished fingernail.

The acid then fell onto Sasuke's arm, causing him to let out a grunt of pain. The skin was beginning to burn. '_That acid is rather powerful, I'm glad **I **don't have to fight against it. The kage really are amazing._' Toshiro thought and then bit his lip. It was still extremely painful just to sit by and watch this.

Then, white liquidly goo began attaching itself to the Mizukage. Both Sasuke and the Mizukage were shocked by it. Toshiro smirked. '_That Zetsu actually came in handy_.' He thought and then moved once more to look into the other room. The Mizukage's assistant and the Tsuchikage and his body-guard were being held upside down.

The Mizukage gasped out, "It's… It's that guy from earlier! The one from the Akatsuki!"

Sasuke grunted out, "It's him… huh?"

The black side of the Zetsu snarled out, "I can't believe that no one notice my _Hoshi no jutsu_. The five kage are a bunch of idiots."

The Mizukage cringed. Toshiro activated his Sharingan and saw the chakra being absorbed by the white Zetsu from the Mizukage. '_I see… he can do that too._'

Sasuke groaned. Toshiro glanced over and saw that his father's chakra was being replenished. '_And the chakra wasn't just for the Zetsu. That thing would be rather helpful to have on the battle-field with that ability. Now I know why Okaa-san was talking about trying to create something like that._'

Sasuke then smashed through the wall with the robotic looking hand of the Susano'o. Debris sprayed everywhere and luckily hit nobody. The Uchiha was panting and crimson blood continued dripping down from his right eye. Karin called out, "Sasuke-kun! Are you okay!?"

The Tsuchikage looked to the big assistant called Akatsuchi. "Looks like she's having trouble… Shall we join the fight?" he asked and the big shinobi nodded his head instantly to the smaller kage. '_So… now he's joining?_' Toshiro thought as he snuck back into the room.

The Tsuchikage then performed a jutsu which instantly made the goop made by Zetsu fall to the ground as if it was nothing. Karin screeched and then jumped out of the way. The Tsuchikage appeared before Sasuke and began weaving hand-signs, "I can't believe a brat like you killed Deidara…" no response from Sasuke, he merely covered his injured right eye, "I have nothing against you. But the shinobi world wants you dead. See you." A glowing box appeared in the Tsuchikage's hands. He then pushed it towards Sasuke. It then expanded. '_Kuso! Too close!_' Toshiro bounded backwards so that he would not be taken in by the jutsu.

Sasuke then disappeared. "Sasuke-kun!" Karin screamed. The Tsuchikage then frowned at the red-haired Uzumaki. Toshiro's eyes were wide. There was… no sign of Sasuke whatsoever. "Sasuke-kun's chakra… it's gone…! No, it can't… it can't be!" she screamed and then the Tsuchikage turned his head towards the young Karin.

"Of course it's gone. His body was smashed into smithereens, and you're next." The smaller kage growled and full on faced her. The Raikage and Kazekage along with their assistants appeared through the large hole in the wall.

"Kankuro!" Gaara yelled and looked around.

The Raikage growled out, "Where the hell is the Uchiha!?"

The Tsuchikage merely smirked, "I smashed him to bits…"

"There!" Kankuro yelled as he allowed his chakra strings to pull at the Zetsu.

Ay growled out, "What…!? That was my job! How fucking dare you!"

Toshiro stiffened. He felt the ominous chakra of Uchiha Obito appear, "You still… have your chance… stop your whining, Raikage." The masked-man said as he solidified before everyone.

The orange-masked idiot was holding Sasuke's unconscious body. Karin noticed and sighed in relief. Obito then decided to speak up, "My name is Uchiha Madara." He began and then looked at all the kage. '_Why would this guy bother to use another alias? What's the point of it?_' Toshiro thought with a scowl. "I'm here to explain something to you… I just want to make that clear." His deep voice sounded out.

"Nani!?" the Raikage snarled.

Obito continued on, "I want to tell you about my plan, the Moon's Eye Plan."

The Raikage growled and looked around, "It appears that the damn Hokage has fled!"

Tsuchikage sighed, "Yes… thanks to the Uchiha brat."

Ay then launched a Lariat that was aimed for Obito, but instead it collided with the wall. '_Hn… that's the jutsu that I have heard of. Kamui._' Toshiro thought and placed his fingers against his mouth, '_It's rather similar to my ability, other than the fact I cannot actually **transport **anybody with my ability. I can merely change their state._'

Sasuke then disappeared into the other dimension which was connected to Obito's left eye. Ay growled out, "I have no damn interest in listening to the fucking messed up plans of the Akatsuki! I cannot understand you people!" The Raikage's chakra zapped and crackled around him, "Hand Sasuke over!"

Obito sighed, "First you listen to my explanation and maybe then, I might hand over Sasuke."

"Let's be calm about this, Ay. Let's hear what he says and then we make our decisions on what we can do." Tsuchikage said with a lot of wiseness to his words. Ay merely grunted and looked the other way defiantly.

Obito then murmured, "Heal up Sasuke, Karin." Before sending her into the other dimension.

Kankuro watched with eyes that seemed to evaluate the situation, "That must be Madara's ability."

Temari continued on for him. "Looks like a time-space sort of ninjutsu."

'_This ability would be helpful to me. But I cannot sit here all day. Perhaps I can change one thing here, I might bring the other two members of Taka with me. They deserve to see what their leader has turned into rather than following him blindly. It would not be best for them to stay here, they may end up being captured. And from memory, they do._' Toshiro thought and then slinked back out to where Juugo and Suigetsu were.

When he arrived, it seemed that Juugo was resting his head against the palm of his hand while Suigetsu was still reduced to a puddle of water. Toshiro undid the genjutsu, instantly alerting Juugo to his presence. "I am not here to do anything, Juugo. I have a medical ninja on my team, if you come with me… I can get both you and your partner, Suigetsu, some help."

The large, orange-haired man froze. "Why…? Why you know our names? I have never met you before, and I'm sure that the same goes for Suigetsu. I cannot allow you to-…" he then froze. Something about Toshiro's chakra stopped him from going on a full on attack. "Your chakra… who are you?"

"I can only tell you my first name; it's Toshiro. I cannot tell you anything else. Just… trust me. I do not want to force you both into coming." The younger Uchiha reasoned and Juugo seemed to contemplate it for a moment before nodding his head.

The man then poked the puddle that was Suigetsu, "Oi… get up, this guy wants to help us for whatever reason it is."

Within an instant, Suigetsu reformed himself and was actually wearing his purple attire. "Nani? We're S-ranked criminals now, why trust this guy? I can't even sense this guy's chakra."

"I'm hiding it, baka. But I'm not your enemy." Toshiro grumbled and watched the two with his emerald eyes.

Suigetsu growled and then looked around for his female teammate. "Eh… where's Karin."

Toshiro frowned. "She's with…" he paused, he had to actually think about what he had to say, "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Eh…? She's with Sasuke? Well, I guess that's good then. Oi… you know where they're at, yeah?" Suigetsu asked and poked at his fangs with his fingers.

Toshiro shook his head rapidly, "Hai. But we need to regroup with my team, and Ami can heal the two of you before we go to Samurai Bridge where Sasuke is fighting against Danzo."

"Danzo, huh? So Karin did locate him?" Juugo mumbled.

The Uchiha nodded his head, "Hai. Now will you come with me? I'd rather not waste the precious time I have loitering around here."

"Precious time? What is it that you need to get done, Toshiro?" Juugo asked and then placed his tanned fingers against his lips.

'_Kuso… I said too much. Now they'll be curious about it._' The Uchiha thought and then bit his lip before saying, "Iie. It's not too important. I just have to get it done. Come on. Stop wasting my time."

"Heh… why should we follow -…" Juugo interrupted the shark-man with, "I'll go with you. I wish to speak to Sasuke-sama."

"Aa. Okay." Toshiro then turned on his heel with Suigetsu and Juugo following.

* * *

"Mattaku…" Renji complained as he watched Sasuke basically slaughter Danzo, "Why are we here watching Toshiro's father kill this old geezer again?"

Ami shrugged her shoulders and then winced when the Susano'o crushed Danzo as if he were nothing, "Too bad that didn't work. That would've hurt. A lot."

Like the red-head had said, Danzo reappeared as if he was not injured but two of the Sharingan eyes on his arm were now closed. "That jutsu makes the Sharingan basically unusable, ne?" Renji asked with a little stupidity.

"Yeah. That's what Toshiro had said at least."

"Mm... whatever involves the Uchiha, he'd know."

"But remember, Toshiro doesn't know everything about his clan."

"Yeah… I know that already." Renji grumbled with a pout.

"Toshiro also tells me about the Uchiha." Ami said and then smirked at the thought that she knew more than Renji about the Uchiha.

Renji growled and then held his fist up, "It's 'cause you're his girl-friend!" He yelled and then closed his mouth when Ami gave him a glare. "… Gomen." He mumbled meekly and then dropped his head.

"Don't be too loud, Renji…" Ami breathed in warning, "We don't need anyone to hear us. That'd be problematic for us."

The Uzumaki grunted and then continued watching the fight before activating his Byakugan. "Oi… Sakura's approaching."

"Hm? When should she-…" an explosion then happened, stopping Ami from continuing.

The coal-haired male looked to the battle once more and nodded his head, "Hai… Danzo's dead."

"I didn't even ask, baka." Ami grumbled.

The Byakugan-user rolled his eyes, "Anyways… Sakura should be here very s-…"

"Okaa-san… look at her…" Ami whispered as the dust settled. Renji looked to where Ami's purple eyes were fixated and then gasped. Karin was in such a bad state, a wound through her chest due to the Chidori. "How could he…? She was his teammate…" Ami whispered and then wrapped her arms around herself to try to protect herself from the pain that she felt.

"This isn't the same Sasuke… he's lost his mind here." Renji mumbled and allowed a low growl to rumble through his chest cavity.

Ami nodded her head, deep down… she knew this as well, but it still scared her that this was what Uchiha Sasuke was capable of. "If Toshiro sees his father try to kill his mother… how are we supposed to stop him from going down there?"

"I can stop him, but I guess we'll be found out." Renji said with a groan. It was very, very hard to stop someone like Toshiro from going on a rampage. Okay, not a slaughter rampage of course, but he would often go and actually attack people if he thought they were saying or doing wrong. … Half the time, Renji was on the same side of Toshiro.

Ami dipped her head, "… I can't keep on watching th-…"

"Oi… Ami, can you heal Suigetsu and Juugo?" Toshiro asked as he emerged from the bushes. He then glared at both Ami and Renji, "Why weren't you two paying attention to your surroundings?" he asked as Suigetsu and Juugo came out from the shrubs and walked at the same pace as Toshiro. The Uchiha then crouched.

Ami glanced down at the scene below, and Toshiro instantly understood. "Is it fine for you to heal Suigetsu and Juugo?"

"Hai…" she murmured and then motioned for both Juugo and Suigetsu to take off their shirts. Ami then began healing her father and the original Curse Mark user. It seemed that Suigetsu was oddly fine with Ami touching him.

Toshiro glanced back down and noticed that Karin was about to be killed by Sasuke, but was interrupted by something.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Note; **Just so you all know, I have assessment coming up, so updates may be a little late because of it. Thanks for understanding, later.


	3. The Arrival of a Cherry Blossom

**_Part 1_**

_Sakura had been given a mission to go to the Hidden Tea village to collect a scroll that her Hokage, Tsunade had asked for. Her innocent green eyes were glued on the path ahead of her. It was nice to have some alone time to think to herself without having Naruto or even Sai around to disrupt her thoughts. The medical-nin's mission was not even a B-rank. Basically, it was a C-rank mission. This mission would more than likely _not _have any enemy shinobi in it, but there was the low chance of it happening._

_The rose-haired kunoichi looked up at the starry sky above her. She then looked back down to see the beautiful meadow she was in, there was a small lake that sparkled in the moonlight. Sakura instantly decided to camp here, she loved it here. In a way, it would have been nice to have Naruto here… but this was the place to think. Eventually, the rosette made it to the edge of the lake. She sat down and looked up at the sky. A shooting star flashed and she allowed a smile to fall onto her glossy lips, "I wish I could stay here for longer than a night…" she murmured to no one in particular._

_Sakura closed her eyes before stiffening; something was _not _right. She peeked open one eye and looked around, waiting for someone to jump at her. Opening her other eye, she slid her hand into her kunai satchel to pick out a kunai. She slipped it into her fingers effortlessly and looked around, "Hey! Who are you!?" She was about to yell out once more but-…_

_A hand then encased itself on Sakura's mouth, causing her to become quiet before she could yell out more. "Quiet." She let out a muffled cry. She wanted to move, she knew what type of position she could _possibly _be in. The rosette then tried to struggle out of the grip on her, but she failed. "Stop moving, Sa-ku-ra."_

_Her moving then stopped as her eyes widened. The hand fell away as the one behind her stood up fully. The rosette allowed herself to turn her head slightly, "S-Sasuke-kun…"_

_"Hn." Sasuke grunted and then crouched down to the side of the rose-haired woman, "Why are you here? On a mission?"_

_Sakura glanced at him cautiously, "I could ask you the same thing…"_

_The Uchiha by her side smirked faintly, "I asked first."_

_Her eyes lowered, "Yeah… a mission."_

_Sasuke groaned and then allowed himself to be fully seated, "Mind if I join you?"_

_Sakura glanced at her ex-teammate who was watching her intently, "Why are you here?" Sakura murmured._

_The Uchiha looked down, "Itachi. It's been said he has been sighted here."_

_"Oh…" Sakura responded, "… Had any leads?"_

_Sasuke shook his head, "Not really."_

_The rosette nodded, "Okay…"_

_The avenger looked to Sakura, "You're quiet."_

_Sakura did not really know how to respond other than with a, "Yeah."_

_"I don't like it." _

_"Huh?"_

_"It's… not like how I thought you'd be." _

_"… Doesn't that make me less annoying?"_

_"Tch."_

_The Uchiha then laid down as he stared up at the sky, "Did I… hurt you when I left?"_

_Sakura bit her lip and chewed on it for a moment before nodding her head and whispering, "Yes."_

_Sasuke looked at her, his eyes barely able to be seen, "… Sorry."_

_The rosette could not believe what she had just heard, "…?"_

_The rogue ninja groaned, obviously not wanting to repeat himself. "I want to know… what is it you feel towards me?"_

_The rosette stiffened and then looked down to her hands before drawing her legs closer to her body, "Why are you so… different?"_

_"Answer my question." Sasuke breathed._

_"... I'm scared to." The rosette admitted._

_"Why?" the avenger asked._

_Sakura smiled sadly, "I think this is just a dream… I mean, as if Uchiha Sasuke would coincidentally run into me on a mission."_

_Sasuke sat upright with that, "I'm real."_

_"No." She shook her head._

_The dark avenger wanted to growl at her, but instead breathed out, "I'll prove it to you." Before Sakura could do anything, she was beneath the raven-haired man, his body pressing against her lightly as he stared down at her with inquisitive eyes. "Now, tell me… what is it you feel for me now?"_

_"This _is _a dream after all…" Sakura mumbled and chewed on her lip again, "You know how I feel for you, Sasuke-kun… is that really a smart question to ask me?"_

_The Uchiha smirked in apparent victory as he crashed his lips against Sakura's warm ones. His kiss was gentle and kind, full of passion. This was exactly how an _innocent _first kiss started. Sakura broke the kiss and blushed before looking away, "I am definitely dreaming…"_

_"What do I have to do to prove that it's not?"_

_"Sasuke-kun has never cared for me – in fact, he has more than likely hated me. He always has-…" Sakura was cut off by the Uchiha._

_"I don't hate you, Sakura." Sasuke responded as he placed a rough and frantic kiss against the medic's lips. He had to _show _her how he felt, this was the only way. The Uchiha began feeling her body and all of her curves, preparing to take her for himself. "In fact, I don't have anything negative against you…" the Uchiha breathed as he licked _Sakura's _lips._

_The rosette pushed away at Sasuke and watched him with teary eyes, "You're really here…"_

_"Hn." Sasuke grunted as he began to claw away at her clothing, "I am real."_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
Chapter 3  
****The Arrival of a Cherry Blossom involves Discovery!**  


* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled as she watched Sasuke drop his Chidori. '_Was he honestly thinking of taking out this woman?_' She thought as she stepped closer before jumping over the crater that was in between the Samurai Bridge, Sakura was sure Sasuke had something to do with that.

Sasuke frowned, "What are you doing here, Sakura."

"I want to join you…" Sakura said as she clenched her fist against her chest. Her emerald eyes were teary.

The Mangekyou-user tilted his head in a little confusion. "Why would you want to join me…? What the hell are you trying pull?"

"Ever since that night… I've regretted not making you take me with you! I have no ulterior motive, I just… want to join you." The rosette whispered and then closed her eyes.

The Uchiha smirked, "What makes you think I'll let you join me over that? That… was only to release my frustration. That is all."

The rosette felt as if she had been stabbed in the chest by Sasuke's words. That… really hurt her. "… Fine then. I still want to join you though. I'll do whatever you want. Absolutely anything."

"I want to destroy the Hidden Leaf. Would you want to join me then?" Sasuke asked with a ferocious look in his onyx eyes; the eyes that Sakura had once (and still) loved. She felt her chest tighten. She did not actually believe that this was truly what he had wanted. Why would Sasuke want to take out the Hidden Leaf? That place was his home, after all. "Are you actually wanting to take out the Hidden Leaf just because of me?"

Sakura nodded her head at a fast pace, "… Yes… If that is what you want from me. I'll help you."

"Heh… then prove yourself to me." Sasuke pointed at the badly injured red-haired woman at his feet, "Kill her, and then I'll let you join me." He then thought of something and smirked lightly, "You're a medical ninja… this will work out rather well for me, Sa-ku-ra."

She shivered at the way he said her name. Sasuke had used that tone on that night two months ago. "Don't… talk to me like that, Sasuke-kun." She warned and then felt a wave of nausea hit her. She has felt it before and has actually thrown up from it. The pinkette has yet to get a check-up on why this was happening, but that was far from her mind at this point of time.

"Hn… well, can you do it? Or are you going to stand there all day, Sa-ku-ra?" he said her name in the same way that he had done so before.

Sakura slipped her fingers back inside the coat to take out the poisoned kunai that she had prepared for Sasuke. It was a rather potent poison on the blade that would attack the cells inside the body and destroy them hundreds at a time. "Who is she?" Sakura asked out of pure curiosity. She continued pacing closer to the red-haired woman.

"A member of my team, the Taka. As you can see…" he frowned and then looked at her as if she was a mere piece of trash that did not belong in this world. '_That look… it's so cold._' Sakura thought and frowned herself. "… she's rather useless to me, a mere burden in my path."

'_A burden?_' Sakura mused and then gripped the kunai tighter, '_Is that all that woman is to Sasuke-kun? Is that all **I **am to him?_' the rosette thought. Sasuke then had a look of pure malice on his face, "Can't you stand that? The fact that she is _only _a burden to me? What did you expect? Hn… hurry up."

Sakura moved closer until she was basically standing over the other kunoichi's body. Her eyes were on Sasuke, being very cautious of him. '_This guy… isn't the same Sasuke-kun that I care for. He is a mere shell of the man that I love. What turned him into… into this monster?_' "Well? Can you even handle this, Sakura?"

Sasuke then slowly made his way behind the rosette. Sakura bit her lip. The Uchiha scowled; she was not paying attention to her surroundings. He could… cut her down. Perhaps doing that would be best. The emotions he was feeling would surely get in the way. He needed only hatred towards the Hidden Leaf, and Sakura was making him think of _not _avenging the Hidden Leaf.

Sakura closed her eyes and gripped the kunai tightly. But then she heard the sound of chirping birds. That sound… she has not heard the cry in three years, she turned her head with emerald eyes wide. Sasuke's hand was coated in the Chidori's chakra. She closed her eyes, prepared for the hit, but it did not come.

"… Who in the hell are you?" Sasuke growled. Sakura turned her head and saw a cloaked man holding Sasuke's wrist before dropping it. The Uchiha jumped backwards to avoid a punch from the cloaked figure. "Well? Are you just going to attack me out of nowhere?"

The cloaked man gave a sidelong glance to Sakura, "Oi… go and heal Karin, Sakura."

Suigetsu then landed beside the hooded man, "The hell, Sasuke!? She's your teammate! Why would you do that to Karin!?" the shark-man growled before lifting up the badly injured Karin. He then turned to Sakura, "It seems that Toshiro knows you for whatever reason it is. Can you heal her?"

"H… Hai! Just, leave it to me!" the rosette said and then stood up straight.

Her body was quivering and she looked to Sasuke with what seemed to be fear. Toshiro frowned as a masked man appeared beside him. "You're late, Kakashi. It seems that me being here has affected the timeline slightly…" Toshiro mumbled the last part to himself.

"What are you doing? And why do you know of Sakura and I?" Kakashi asked as he watched the cloaked man with a scowl.

Toshiro shrugged, "I'm not obliged to tell you. But I'm not your enemy. I just saved your student, so I think you're in my debt."

"Tch… so why the hell did you help Sakura? What is in it for you?" Sasuke asked as he cracked his knuckles.

The masked man grinned underneath his cloak, "Heh… See, she means quite a bit to me. And I don't want to see all of this get even more so fucked up."

The avenger frowned in jealousy, "Why… does she mean so much to you and how can anything become more fucked up!?"

Toshiro let out a low snarl, "I can't explain it to you!"

Kakashi seemed a little puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"

"Even… even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. You… You never would be able to." Toshiro sighed and then clutched his raven bangs in his fingers before pulling at them.

The copy-nin glowered, "Why won't I believe you?"

"Because this isn't something that would be easy to believe. If I need to speak about it, I shall. But now… there is really no point. I'll hang around with Sakura and make sure she doesn't get injured. You know for a fact that she cannot protect herself in the state that she is in." Toshiro said.

Kakashi blinked and then thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in defeat, "Yes… I know what you're talking about. I'm surprised that you have picked up on it," Kakashi then glanced at Sasuke, "… but I don't understand why he hasn't. He should be more sensitive since it is…" the copy-nin sighed and shook his head, "Alright. I don't want Sakura to be on her own with two shinobi I don't know. It's better to allow it to be with you. For whatever reason it is, I don't have any fear of you being a threat."

"Hn. Trust that instinct. I won't do anything to harm the people here." Toshiro said as he disappeared for a moment before reappearing before Sakura who was currently healing Karin.

Kakashi then faced Sasuke, "I know what you did, Sasuke."

"And what was that?" Sasuke asked with a scowl.

The copy-nin sighed, "You know full well, Sasuke. But now isn't the time for that. I have to put you down before you bring the shinobi world into total chaos."

"Chaos? Isn't that already what it is?" the Uchiha asked with a sneer.

* * *

"Y… You're…" Karin's crimson eyes were wide as she watched the rosette heal her.

Warm liquid dripped down onto the red-haired woman's chest as Sakura softly cried while healing Karin, "Don't talk, I'm almost done."

"You n… need to know." Karin whispered. "If you knew w…what I knew y...you wouldn't have come h…here…"

"Nani?" Sakura whispered with a slight sob.

Toshiro landed beside her and stretched his limbs while looking down at Karin, "I can help. Even if it's just a little, Sakura."

The rosette continued watching Karin, not really paying much attention to Toshiro. She merely nodded her head to his unasked question. The cloaked-man crouched before adding his own chakra to the mix. Karin stiffened and looked at Toshiro. '_This… This couldn't be right, could it? This… guy has the exact same chakra as the child that the pink-haired woman is carrying._' "Who… Who in the world are you?"

"Toshiro." The Uchiha muttered as he continued doing what he needed to help out Sakura.

The rosette then stiffened and pulled her hand away as if it had been slapped, "I can't… my chakra flow is too weak. I don't know-…"

"I know why…" Karin whispered slowly, "… you're expecting."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened, "W… What!?" she screeched.

"In other words…" Toshiro muttered as he allowed his own emerald eyes to focus on Sakura, "… you're pregnant."

She looked at her hands before placing a firm hand against her stomach, as if to protect it. "There's… There's no way…"

"Karin's jutsu wouldn't have failed you like that." Toshiro said as he glanced back down at the injured red-head. "Is that better?" He asked. Karin nodded and sat upright with a little difficulty while Sakura was crying even harder now. The missing-nin did something that surprised both Toshiro and Sakura, the woman placed her blood coated hand against Sakura's flat stomach. "What are you…?" Toshiro frowned and was ready to attack her.

The rosette looked at Karin wearily, "What… What are you doing?"

"I'm correct… This guy's and the baby's chakra are exactly the same…" she whispered more to herself than to Sakura or Toshiro. It seemed that Sakura did not pick up on it, however, Toshiro did and he was watching Karin with caution. "Gomen…" she pulled her hand away and placed it on her lap, "I wanted to make sure."

The medical-nin nodded her head briskly while moving her hand away to make sure that nobody could see what it was that she was now hiding. "Thank you. Even though you might think of me as an enemy, you still helped me and told me about this… I won't do anything against Sasuke-kun, not when I have something I need to protect."

* * *

"Good… Sakura should be safe…" '_As well as what I sensed inside of her_.' Kakashi added as an after-thought. His Sharingan eye was now visible and Sasuke was staring it down as if it was his worst enemy.

The Uchiha let out a growl, "You listen to me… the Sharingan is the symbol of an Uchiha! A bastard that isn't an Uchiha has no right to be showing that eye off!" He yelled as he ran at Kakashi with the full intent on killing.

Sasuke then summoned his Susano'o and smirked wickedly, stopping a little in front of Kakashi, "This… This is the true power of an Uchiha!" The purple deity surrounded him as if it was controlled by him body and soul. Kakashi's eyes widened. The sickening feeling of dark chakra entered his body. He felt sick. The Sharingan eye in his right socket swirled. Sasuke's Susano'o then formed into something even more fearful. It seemed to grow muscle over the bone and looked like it was to the point of growing flesh. A crossbow appeared on the deity's arm and it was now aimed at Kakashi.

The Susano'o pulled the arrow back and then launched it at a pace that was impossible to dodge. Sasuke was panting heavily while Kakashi stood in the spray of the water that had been disettled thanks to the Susano'o. "That was too fast… the Mangekyou is the only reason why I'm even alive." The silver-haired jonin muttered to himself as he watched his fallen student take deep breaths. The Mangekyou of Kakashi's Sharingan eye returned back to the normal form that was well-known throughout the shinobi world. "That's the Susano'o, I take it?"

"I can't believe that a non-Uchiha like you actually awakened the next stage of the Sharingan… That's your eye's ability." Sasuke muttered and clutched his eye, the pain beginning to create gigantic migraine.

Kakashi frowned and rubbed his own eye, the same searing pain begin to come with the massive chakra loss. "I hope you're grateful to your clan. Sasuke, your clan and you hatred… those cannot possibly be the only things left in your heart. Look deep inside yourself one last time… You'll know the answer."

"Tch… still saying the same bullshit, huh?" Sasuke muttered with a smirk, "Do you honestly think that would work?"

Kakashi scowled, "You know what's really there."

Sasuke's smirk disappeared as a dangerous look appeared on his face. "They're… They're all laughing…" Confusion filled Kakashi as Sasuke then continued, "They're all laughing it up! They're laughing because of Itachi's death. All of you – all of them cackling in unison with _no _idea of the price he paid!" The Uchiha gripped his dark grey shirt. The Susano'o then began reacting to the Uchiha's rage and a new layer seemed to be added onto the already fearsome Susano'o.

"All I fucking hear is your laughter! But don't worry… I'll turn it into screams and moans of pain and anger!" the Uchiha screamed. Kakashi was taken aback, he could not believe the anger and darkness within this teenager. Sasuke… he was no longer the same child that Kakashi had trained and taught many, many things. He was not the same boy that had once actually cared about his comrades. This… This was the Sasuke that had allowed his hate to manifest into something else. Anger and hatred created the Sasuke before him.

* * *

"… His chakra's even darker than before." Toshiro noted and looked to Karin who was thinking the exact same thing.

The Uchiha stood upright and then clenched his fists together, "I'm already breaking a lot of rules that I'd promised my teammates… I can't stay around here for much longer."

"M… Matte. I want to know who you are and why you know me!" Sakura said.

Karin frowned, "What is… is it that you're hiding?"

Suigetsu, who had not said anything for the whole time and was now sitting atop of the stone column and was watching the whole fight muttered, "You're not gonna get anything out of him, Karin."

"H… Huh…? I didn't notice that you stayed, Suigetsu." Karin breathed.

Toshiro stiffened, "How much has changed…?"

"Nani?" all three (other than Toshiro) questioned in unison.

The cloaked man then looked up to where his teammates were watching, "I've probably fucked everything up. Damn these emotions…!"

"I'll… see how much I can-…" Toshiro then looked over to the fight and felt the large chakra fade away to nothing. The Susano'o had disappeared. Why?

* * *

Kakashi watched in slight relief as the Susano'o seemed to fall apart. Sasuke gasped in pain and pulled his hands to his face before looking around. Everything was… blurry. The copy-nin saw that Sasuke's eyes were not red nor onyx, they were a lifeless grey which was seen in people who had lost their vision. "You…!"

Sasuke choked out, "My… My vision!"

Sasuke wiped his eyes, in a hope to bring back the light. He knew it was fruitless, however. He stopped doing what he was doing and glared at Kakashi. "Come on… Come at me then!"

The copy-nin was about to do as he was told, but was pushed back by a tanned arm. "Don't…! I need to figure this out, Kaka-sensei!" the man yelled and looked at how Sasuke had become. His clear blue eyes softened when he noticed what Sasuke's state was. '_His eyes… he's blind._'

"Sasuke… Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, you and I are all a part of team 7." Naruto said as he stepped a little forwards, but Kakashi stopped him by standing ahead of him.

The Uchiha smirked, "You seem to forget… I'm _ex_-team 7."

"He's not the same person anymore, Naruto. There is no point in trying to get to him. He even tried to attack Sakura earlier." Kakashi stated.

"Sasuke…" Naruto breathed.

Sasuke snarled out, "What the fuck is it!?"

"Tobi…" Naruto began, "… he told me the truth about Itachi! I don't know whether or not to believe him, but seeing everything you've done…" the kyuubi-container clenched his fists together, "I understand it! I know why you did all of this!"

The Uchiha's chakra surged, "Naruto…" he clenched his teeth, "I've told you once before… You've had no siblings or parents… you've never had _anyone_. So shut the hell up, outsider!"

"I've met my father, Sasuke. He's the Fourth Hokage and he told me things, so many things. Especially about the guy controlling the Akatsuki." Naruto now had a smile on his face, happy to be remembering his father.

Sasuke froze and then growled out, "I just got _some _of my revenge for Itachi on one of his… betrayers. One of the Leaf's top shinobi, Danzo." Sasuke pulled his hands out and gave a psychotic smile, "It was a high unlike anything that I have _ever _felt. It was… It was like I had begun cleansing the Uchiha name of the bullshit that's dogged it for all of these years. It's like I was freeing the Uchiha from being associated with this bullshit of a shinobi world… In a sense, I'm doing what the Leaf had always wanted… after rejecting my clan for generations, I'll get rid of them from all of your memories. I'll do it by killing every last one of you until the Hidden Leaf is crushed forever, any link to the Uchiha will be severed and our name will be purified! That is how I'll revive my clan!"

Toshiro and Sakura then jumped down beside Naruto and Kakashi. The Uzumaki gave Toshiro a confused look, but did not do anything since Kakashi was fine with it. "Do you… honestly think that the Uchiha name will be cleansed that way? All you'll do is bring more dishonour to your clan." Toshiro said.

"What can you say about it? You don't know _anything_!" Sasuke snarled.

Sakura cried out, "The Uchiha name will become feared across everywhere! If you needed help, nobody would help you! People already fear you when they hear of your name and everything that you've done!"

"Shut up." Sasuke muttered and then smirked, "I don't care if people fear me or if they want to join me. They can do whatever the fuck that they want."

Naruto shook his head while Kakashi scowled. "Sakura… you can't reach out to him. Don't anger him either, in the state you're in… you can't do a thing…"

"I…" Sakura looked down and bit down hard on her lip, "I know…"

The Uchiha was a little confused with this, "What… do you mean by that?"

Naruto then did some hand-signs; the _Shadow Clone jutsu_. A shadow clone appeared beside the Uzumaki, but Kakashi stepped forwards and held his hand out. "This is my job! Sakura, get out of here and make sure that you keep yourself safe!"

"Iie! I'm not-…" Sakura growled out.

Kakashi interrupted her with, "I don't want the two of you to see this. Get out of here, _now_!"

The rosette shook her head and then sighed in defeat, "Hai… but I'm not moving. I won't get in the way, Kakashi-sensei."

"But you…!" Kakashi stopped himself, if Sasuke learned of this… all hell may just break loose.

Sasuke gripped his arm and allowed the Chidori to surface, the crackling sound of the electricity sparked around everywhere. Naruto looked at Kakashi before yelling out, "Kakashi-sensei… are you really going to kill Sasuke!?"

"Leave!" Kakashi yelled.

But Naruto shoved right past him with a Rasengan swirling in his hand, Sakura moved out of the way and clutched her stomach as she felt a wave of nausea hit her. Sasuke then shouted out, "You've left him vulnerable! I won't hesitate, not even for a second!"

The two male teens charged at one another with their main jutsu swirling and sparkling brightly in their hands. Sakura shivered and watched the fight with a frantically beating heart. Kakashi yelled out, "Naruto! Matte!" While Sakura called out his name, but it was all to a deaf ear.

The two attacks collided, causing a bright light that made Sakura, Toshiro and Kakashi close their eyes from. When the light faded, leaving behind an explosion of water. Kakashi quickly caught Naruto who was flung backwards. The white Zetsu caught Sasuke and made sure that he did not smash into the large rock-wall.

Sasuke mumbled out with a pant, "When… When did you…?"

Zetsu grinned, "I've been watching you for quite a while, you know? … Tobi ordered me to hang around and keep my presence hidden from you." He said with a little seriousness. Zetsu sighed, "We're in trouble though…"

Kakashi looked at his student who he had allowed to stand up right, "You disobeyed my orders, Naruto! I told you – and Sakura – to get out of here!"

"Now… I'm sure I know the answer…" Naruto said with a rare look of seriousness on his whiskered face, he panted and then let out a groan from the slight amount of pain he felt. His muscles were all tight and he was sure it would be a hard trip to return back to the Hidden Leaf.

The copy-nin glared over at Naruto, "Certain… of what!? What the hell are you talking about!?"

The two ex-best-friend's stared each-other down, not paying any attention whatsoever to the other people surrounding them. Obito then appeared and watched over Sasuke before shaking his head, "I told you to return…" he then looked over the kyuubi-container. "The kyuubi…" he then looked back at Sasuke, "When we do fight them, it'll be in a more suitable place. For now, let's retreat."

Many different copies of Zetsu then appeared, "Let me handle them… we've gotta capture the kyuubi at some point, ne?"

'_… Great… I won't be able to handle all of those on my own. Naruto would be worn out and Sakura is out of the question_.' Kakashi then glanced at Toshiro who was standing as still as a statue and was watching the situation silently. '_I'm not too sure if he would help me out, either._'

"Iie… I don't think you can capture Naruto, Zetsu. You're not a front-line fighter, the kyuubi is much too strong. We shall leave that hunt to Sasuke, it will be entertaining." The one-eyed Sharingan user mumbled and then smirked underneath his mask.

Naruto then headed towards Sasuke, "Naruto?" the copy-nin murmured.

"I know… but there's something I need to say to Sasuke." The Uzumaki answered the unasked question given to him by his sensei.

'Tobi' then touched Sasuke's shoulder, in an effort to help him up as well as saying that it was time to go. Sasuke shook his head before standing up on his own, "Matte."

Naruto watched over Sasuke before saying what he needed to say, "Sasuke… do you remember what you told me in the Valley of the End? About top-class shinobi?" Sasuke stayed silent, so Naruto guessed that Sasuke did remember what the kyuubi was talking about. "One direct hit later, and I understood a lot more. You know… we've become top-shinobi, the both of us. So… tell me… did you see what was inside of my heart? How I really feel? Did you… see what'll happen if we fight again…?" Naruto then smiled a sad smile, "We'll die. The both of us." Naruto's fists clenched by his sides, "Our battle… it will be inevitable. If you really do attack my home – _our _home… it will happen. So, keep your hatred and let it become stronger, then hit me with everything you've got…

"I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hatred, it's my job… not Kakashi-sensei's, not Sakura's… I'm the only one who can bear all of your hatred… then, we'll die together!" Naruto finished.

Sasuke let out a breath before saying his own piece, "… What the fuck is wrong with you!? Why do you care about me so much!? Do you honestly care _that _much that you'd die!?"

The Uzumaki gave another sad smile, "… I'm your friend. I'd die for you. … You know that by now, don't you?"

"You know that we'd never be able to understand each-other through words alone. I knew that the moment that I met you. The only way that you and I can communicate is through our fists. Remember?" Naruto held his fist out in a sort of mockery. "The both of us are top-class shinobi now!" Naruto said with a now prideful smile. The smile then simmered down into nothing, merely a sad expression. "You know… I'm not gonna give up! Still, I can't say anything more about this! I shouldn't exactly be lecturing anyone… I can barely put together a single sentence!"

The Uzumaki then giggled a little playfully and rested his tanned hand against his blond hair, "Hehehehe… if we really take this all the way to the end, and we both die… We won't be Uchiha, jinchuurikis or really… anything! There won't be any burdens… and we'll finally come to understand one another."

Sasuke shook his head and glared down at his ex-teammate with his grey eyes, "Iie… I won't change. Never! I don't want to understand you, and I don't want you to understand me! And I'm not gonna die… you're going to."

Kakashi yelled out, "Enough of this. You want to become Hokage, don't waste your dream because of Sasuke!"

"How can I become Hokage when I can't save a friend… my best-friend…?" Naruto whispered and then dug his fingers into the palms of his hands. "Plus… you're not going to fight Sasuke, nor is Sakura… I am! I'm the only one who can!"

Sasuke smirked, "Have it your way, then. But I'll kill you first."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Obviously you still don't count me as your equal, now do ya?"

Kakashi seemed to understand and nodded his head, "… Okay. Sasuke is all yours, Naruto. But I'm taking care of Madara! Sakura… heal me afterwards, alright?" Kakashi allowed his Mangekyou to resurface once more, he had every intention of using _Kamui_.

Obito pulled his hand forwards, "Don't even bother, Kakashi. Techniques like that will have no effect against me."

Sasuke, 'Tobi' and Zetsu then disappeared using the jutsu that Naruto had become so used to. Toshiro frowned. "Hn… I think I'll take my leave as well."

The Uchiha turned on his heel and was about to head back to his teammates, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Oi… you're not our enemy, ne?" Naruto asked. Toshiro shook his head. "Why don't you stay then? You can help us with everything…"

"Iie. I have other things I must get done. Oh yeah… I'll leave Suigetsu and Karin to you. Whatever you do, don't separate them. From the look of things," Toshiro glanced over to where Suigetsu was looking after the red-haired woman, "… they'd be inseparable. I want to collect them later, however."

Kakashi nodded his head, "Hai… If you do come to the Hidden Leaf, ask for me or Naruto or Sakura."

Toshiro nodded his head and stretched, "Hai… I was sure that I wouldn't be allowed in the Hidden Leaf easily."

"Matte." Sakura mumbled and Toshiro sighed. He was getting annoyed of being stopped from leaving.

"Nani?" Toshiro asked quietly.

Sakura bit her lip nervously, "I… I want to know why you seem to know all of us… I've… you haven't shown your face, so I don't know who you are. Can you… show us your face?"

Almost instantly, Toshiro responded with an, "Iie."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

The Uchiha shifted his gaze from her and onto the damage of the bridge, "I'm already breaking so many rules, and I'm sure I'll get yelled at for it, but… it's just impossible for me to tell you who I _truly _am. I gave you my name. Isn't that enough, at least for now? I'll tell you who I am; at a later date, of course."

"H… Hai. Do you promise?" Sakura whispered.

Toshiro nodded his head, "Hai. I don't go back on my promises," Toshiro's gaze fell onto Naruto, "Someone important in my life told me that."

"O… kay." Sakura said slowly as Toshiro disappeared before team Kakashi's eyes.

* * *

"Sasuke," Tobi began as he watched the younger Uchiha, "What's on your mind? You seem… out of it."

The said man turned to his family member before giving him a glower. "I want Itachi's eyes."

"Oh? And why did you change your mind?" the masked-man asked with a little curiosity.

"I need as much power as I can obtain… and for that, I'll need my brother's eyes." Sasuke answered easily. It was not like he was telling a lie or anything. He _needed _to kill Naruto when they met on the battle-field. His Uchiha pride would be on the line if he cannot even beat an idiot.

The older Uchiha nodded his head before smirking underneath the orange mask that he wore, "Well… I can begin the transplant later on today. If you want?"

"Aa." Sasuke nodded his head and then headed inside of the hideout that he was transported to.

"Sasuke… it seems that your… teammates are no longer with you. The other guy that neither you nor I know has handed them over to Konoha, but it seems that he still has Juugo with him." Tobi said with his deep tone.

The Uchiha stiffened and then let out a curse, "I don't care anymore what happens to them. They're all a burden to me."

"Hn…" Tobi grunted and then scowled underneath his mask.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Note; **Two things; - I updated early since there is no Naruto chapter this week and I will update Friday also.  
- The reason for the stuff at the top in italics is basically flash-backs, as you can see, that was part one of maybe two or three parts? The reason I'm doing that is so that I don't have chapters full of flashbacks on Toshiro's and even Sakura's past, so yeah. I'm still real cautious about making it lemony, so I'll do it as far as I can go without it being full on sex.


	4. More and More Questions

**Part 2**

_"Matte, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered as she stopped him from undressing her; the rosette's shirt was somewhere in the meadow and he was in the process of pulling off her shorts. He instantly retracted his hands and watched the rose-haired medic with a risen eyebrow. Sakura watched Sasuke seriously, "I'm not just some… _lay _for you to have some fun with, Sasuke-kun."_

_The Uchiha was a bit hurt by that one, "That… was stupid, Sakura."_

_The medic watched him with a confused look, "Huh?"_

_Sasuke nibbled at Sakura's ear, causing her to shiver, "You're not some lay for me, Sakura."_

_The rosette knew that Sasuke would have more than likely had a few lays and she was positive that this was _not _Sasuke's first time, but for Sakura… it was, "… Liar."_

_Sasuke shook his head, allowing his raven hair to tickle the side of Sakura's face. Sasuke licked up to her jaw. He then mumbled against her flesh, "I am not a man to lie like that."_

_Sakura then said without thinking, "I don't know what type of man you are now."_

_The Uchiha pulled away and watched her, "Hn… perhaps… but I don't lie."_

_The medic wanted to outright call him a lying bastard, but she merely said, "I… don't believe you."_

_Sasuke moved back down to place kisses against her throat, allowing himself to trail further and further down her neck. He was being gentle as if he thought of her as a porcelain doll, Sakura noted. This side of the Uchiha was something that she had never, ever thought of Sasuke doing. "Stop…"_

_"No." Was Sasuke's instant reply, "I won't." His tone was more breathless._

_The medic gasped out as Sasuke softly sucked on her neck. "Stop…" Sakura breathed out once more, her voice wavering._

_"… You don't want me to, do you?" Sasuke asked and the rosette felt him smirk against her neck. Sakura gasped out as his lips trailed lower and lower until he had gotten to her breasts. He gently cupped them through her bra, "You've grown." He stated as Sakura felt herself become red from both that and the fact she was being touched in a way she had never been touched before. The rosette pushed her legs together; she was starting to get wet. Sasuke, noticing, looked up at her with a mischevious look, "Wet? I can fix that for you Sa-ku-ra."_

_"Nghn…" Sakura shook her head as Sasuke began to work on her bra-clad mounds. He slipped his fingers underneath the material and stroked her nipples as he moved his head up so he could watch her facial expressions; her eyes were wide and the blush on her cheeks was becoming brighter and more noticeable, even in the night. She moaned and then bit her lip to quieten herself._

_The Uchiha growled at her as he licked her lips with his glossa, "Don't… hide your moans."_

_The rosette cried out as he pinched down on her rather erect nipples. He slipped his fingers out then Sasuke took off his white haori and then lifted Sakura up to lie her body on it. The rosette was surprised and watched him with widened eyes. The Uchiha then gently lifted her up once more so that her body was pressed against hers as he fumbled with the bra's clips. When her breasts were free, he moved the bra away and gazed down at her hungrily. The rosette was now entirely red. Sasuke pulled her closer and pressed her breasts against his chest as he left kisses against her lips, jaw and then down her neck. _

_"Ahh…" Sakura hissed as she tilted her head back a little as Sasuke gently laid her on the material of his haori._

_The Uchiha kissed down her jaw and to the valley of her breasts, leaving behind saliva trails to prove that he had _indeed _been there. His eyes stayed on her, however. He watched as her face scrunched up as her eyes stayed tightly shut. Sasuke noted the heavy blush coating her cheeks. Blinking into his kekkei genkai, he watched her a little before once more glancing down at her breasts. He cupped one and noted that they felt _perfect_ in his hands; they were soft and looked exquisite. Unable to hold himself for much longer, he began kissing at the other mound which were not being held by his hand. _

_The rose-haired woman gasped as she forced her eyes open to stare at the Uchiha at her chest; she could not see his face and could only see his raven hair. His movements were slow and gentle – he really was cautious. "Ne… Sasuke-kun..."_

_Sasuke froze and looked up at her, "What is it?"_

_She blushed even heavier then she was already, "Are we… really going to do _this_?"_

_The Uchiha thought about it before smirking, "… Annoying."_

_The rosette glared at him, "Excuse me?"_

_Sasuke moved up to Sakura so that he was right in front of her face, "A-nnoy-ing." He said slowly._

_The medic was about to try to get him out of the way, but he stopped her, "You're using me."_

_Now, the Uchiha looked a bit angry, "I'm _not_." He bit out._

_"You just called me annoying…" she murmured and watched him with glistening eyes, "… You only say that when you're about to do something…"_

_Sasuke smirked; his arrogant personality returning, "I _know _what I'll be doing, Sa-ku-ra…" he drawled out seductively as he did something Sakura did not expect; he grinded his hips against hers, allowing the rosette to feel his hardness through his dark blue pants. _

_"What the-…" Sakura was about to say something, but Sasuke quickly interrupted her with a growl._

_He nuzzled her chin as he did the action from before once more, but at a slower and more rougher sort of way, "_You _do this to me, Sa-ku-ra…"_

_"No, I-…"_

_"Tch…"_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
Chapter 4 – More and More Questions**

* * *

"What the hell Toshiro!?" Renji exclaimed when they arrived at a cave. They were finally able to talk a little freely, but could not actually talk about the future in front of Juugo. The large, orange-haired man was being healed by Ami at the moment, so they had a tiny bit of freedom to talk at this moment. The Uchiha that was being scolded gritted his teeth and waited for his best-friend to totally get up him and then not talk to the raven-haired man for a few days. "Why did you change the future!? I thought we agreed that we wouldn't change anything!"

Toshiro growled out a curse before snarling, "Do you _honestly _think I could just stand there when my Okaa-san was being attacked by Otou-san, honestly!?" The Uchiha said while Renji gripped onto the side of Toshiro's cloak and pulled tightly, nearly to the point of ripping it. "Let me go, moron!"

"Iie, asshole!" Renji barked back and pulled tighter again.

The Uchiha disappeared before reappearing behind the Uzumaki, "Why the hell are you so _fucking _angry?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" the Byakugan-user yelled back.

"Hey!" Ami yelled as she entered the room with Juugo who seemed to be a little disgruntled by the fighting going on between Toshiro and Renji. "Just drop it you two!"

Toshiro gazed over at his girl-friend before sighing and then taking a brisk step back away from his teammate. He turned his head before grunting and heading over to the futon that was set up on the ground. Ami sighed and then looked to Juugo, "Gomen… these two don't usually fight this bad. … Actually, this is the roughest I've seen them get… unless you count them actually attacking each-other."

"Hai… where are Suigetsu and Karin? Are they being taken back to the Hidden Leaf?" the animal-lover asked as he looked at Toshiro who had turned on his side in a huff.

The Uchiha nodded, "… Hai. The Hidden Leaf won't do anything to them, don't worry. We'll go and pick them up in a few weeks." '_At least, when we meet up with Itachi-oji…_' Toshiro added as an after-thought. He needed to talk to Ami about this. The younger Uchiha knew that Itachi was brought back, and he wanted to follow Itachi to where the snake-version of Kabuto was.

"I need to talk to you… Toshiro." Ami mumbled as she watched the moody Uchiha.

He let out a, "Tch." Before standing up and following her out to the other room, leaving behind Juugo and a furious Renji.

Renji glanced over at Juugo with agitated, pearl eyes. "Did she heal you fully?"

"Yes. Arigatou." The polite man said with a kind smile.

The Uzumaki blinked before looking at his feet, "She's nice… but she's too trusting at times. I guess it's good that she has the asshole and I by her side, but that doesn't mean that she might not be attacked."

"How's she trusting?" Juugo asked, curiosity taking him over.

Renji grinned, "She just… is the one who is attacked out of both the asshole and I…"

"Hm… she reminds me of Karin in that way, I guess." The Curse-Mark user sighed. It was true, even the way that Ami spoke, he was instantly reminded of his teammate.

"Aa… well, that's your opinion I guess." Renji mumbled and then broke into a grin once-more, "You're fine with staying here, aren't you? Toshiro can control… _it_… so don't worry about it."

"How?" Juugo asked.

"Um… I can't say, the asshole will kill me if I say anything about it."

"Hai. I presumed that. The three of you are rather… secretive."

"Kinda have to."

"Oh?"

"Well, it's hard to explain…"

"Huh?"

"I can't say anything about it. So stop asking."

"Gomen."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

"I need to speak with you, Sakura." Kakashi said as the group arrived into a small village. Karin was being carried by Suigetsu who had his chakra drained so that he could not try to escape with the red-haired woman. The rosette could already tell what it was about, but was a little cautious about what he would say. She glanced over at Naruto who did not seem to be paying attention to Kakashi, but to the ramblings of Suigetsu. The shark-man kind of reminded Sakura of Naruto, it was nice to see another person with the same humour of Naruto.

"Yes… I was waiting for you to say that." The rosette said honestly. Kakashi signalled for her to follow him. Naruto and Suigetsu stopped and watched the pair go.

The white-haired man blinked, "What's up with them?"

"Dunno. Kakashi-sensei's been giving Sakura worried looks for the whole trip. Usually he doesn't pay that much attention to her. Hm… they better tell me what's going on, though." The Uzumaki grumbled a little grumpily. He wanted to know so, so bad what was going on with Sakura. Kakashi had even said that she could not do anything in the state that she was in when Naruto was talking to Sasuke. Even Sasuke seemed to be a little confused about it.

Suigetsu sighed, "Fine… Karin, you know what's goin' on?"

"… I can't say… She doesn't seem to want you – particularly Naruto, to know about what she is hiding. Just wait, she'll more than likely tell you what's going on when she is ready to. … Or maybe Kakashi will, but whatever." The red-haired Uzumaki sighed and rested her head against Suigetsu's muscled shoulders. "Why are you carrying me, anyways?"

The water-style nin smirked, "Would you rather me drop you on the floor?"

"I-Iie! No way, it's just that…" she chewed on her glossy, lower lip. "I thought you hated me."

The shark-like man froze for a moment, and then muttered, "I don't believe I have actually said that to you, now have I?"

"… No, but you just… are so mean to me all of the time." Karin sighed and then closed her eyes, she was beyond exhausted.

* * *

Kakashi faced his only female student, "Why are you pregnant, Sakura? Why did you let _him _do it?"

"Uh… it was just a thing of the… ano, moment?" the rosette offered and then chewed on her lower lip, "This isn't the reason why you pulled me out here, was it?"

The masked shinobi shook his head, "Of course not! I want to know why you… continue to carry that child inside of you… Why would you risk seeing Sasuke?"

"I didn't know. Karin told me about it earlier. That's why I didn't do anything against Sasuke when he was distracted… not that I could've done anything against him…"

"When? When did you and him…?"

"Uh… two months ago."

"Two months? And when were you going to say anything to anyone?"

"Oi! Tsunade-shishou knows about it!" Sakura defended and then dropped her head. "… It was on a mission, okay?"

Kakashi took a deep breath, in a hope to calm himself down. For once it actually worked, "… Fine. What are you going to do about… this… problem?"

"I'm keeping him, Kakashi-sensei. It's… just something I _need _to keep." The rosette whispered.

The well-known shinobi nearly buckled when he heard that, but thought best to keep his composure. At the end of the day, it was Sakura's choice on whether or not she kept the baby. There was just one little problem with that… "You can be thrown into prison for being with an S-class rogue-nin, Sakura."

"Iie. That was _before _Sasuke-kun was an S-class missing-nin. He was more like a… I dunno, A-class? But then again, Tsunade-shishou did not actually make him a rogue shinobi. It was Danzo that put the order on Sasuke-kun."

"Hai, hai, hai…" Kakashi sighed.

"Is there anything else?" Sakura asked.

The copy-nin nodded, "Yes. _You _will be the one to tell Tsunade-sama about this. Oh yes, I already knew that you were with Sasuke." The silver-haired jonin's nose scrunched up under his nose, "I can still smell him all over you."

"Huh?" the rosette blinked and then blushed furiously, "T-There's no way that h-his…"

Kakashi sighed, "I have a strong nose, remember?"

"But that was _two months _ago! I'd understand if it was maybe a week ago, but that is unbelievable!" Sakura cried and then realised something, "Does that mean that Kiba might have caught onto it…? I was with him a few hours ago… Oh my God! Are they fine?! Agh…! I have so much explaining to do…!"

The copy-nin rolled his visible, lazy eye. "I don't think they'll question you about it. Yamato has explained the situation to them. It should be fine. Let's go before Suigetsu and Karin run off, or something…"

* * *

"Kuso… I didn't think that all of that happened with Sasuke's old team." Suigetsu shook his head. Naruto had just run down the basics of what had happened to team 7, and it seemed that the shark-man was actually paying attention. "Well… I feel sorry for Sakura. Do you actually know what happened then?"

Naruto shook his head, "Iie. She refused to tell me what happened on that night. She said something about not really remembering, but I know it's bullshit."

"Maybe I can get her to tell?" Karin mumbled. She was a little intrigued by the fact that Sasuke had indeed tried to kill someone who was obviously really important to him.

The blond looked at Karin for a moment before shaking his head, "Nah. That'd be really, really stupid."

"Why?" Suigetsu asked a little naively, "It's not like it'd hurt her."

Naruto looked at the shark-man as if he was stupid, which in all likelihood, that was true. "Uh… see, she hates it when I prodded her for info and she actually hit me over it." The kyuubi container began rubbing his head unconsciously at the thought of Sakura beating him to a bloody pulp. One would think he would be somewhat used to it, but that was not what had happened.

"Yo, what's up?" Kakashi asked as he emerged from the bushes with Sakura holding her stomach for a moment before dropping her hand as if it had been hurt. Naruto was a little confused, but did not say anything about it.

"Hm…" Suigetsu touched his chin and then gave a toothy grin, "You see… I'm thirsty and I don't have my water-bottle with me."

Naruto gave a look to Suigetsu that showed a little confusion, "Aren't you made of water or something? Shouldn't you be fine with _not _drinking water?"

Karin decided to answer for the water-style user, "He needs to drink water since he rarely eats food. Since he's made of water, he barely gets sick but that is because he drinks a lot of clean water. He also dehydrates _a lot_."

"Hm… is that a kekkei genkai?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her stomach once more without noticing it. Kakashi glared at her hand before sighing, he knew she was not doing it on purpose, but that was not the point.

Suigetsu nodded his head and grinned, "It's kinda weird though. I mean, usually kekkei genkai are abilities like the Sharingan or even different chakra natures. But mine's weird. It's been made better when I was Orochimaru's favourite…" the smile fell, "… test subject."

"Test subject?" Sakura asked as the group began moving, "What did he actually do to you?"

Karin looked at Suigetsu and felt a surge of guilt run through her. "Gomen…" she whispered low enough so that only he could hear.

"… Yeah. Don't worry about it, Karin." Suigetsu grumbled back to her.

The rosette rose a pink eyebrow before looking at the shark-man to answer his question, "Well? What did he actually do?"

"Uh… he just altered my DNA and messed up with my chakra points. It bloody hurt, though. Didn't give me anaesthetic or anything to make it not hurt though. I don't know why Sasuke put up with the bastard as much he did. I'm sure Sasuke was tested on as well." Suigetsu sighed and then froze when he realised that he mentioned the Uchiha that had done so much damage to the pink-haired woman.

She blinked, but then scowled. "Nani…? They tested on Sasuke-kun as well?"

"Why do you think that Sasuke is as powerful as he is, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, putting in his own piece.

The rosette thought about it and then sighed when she realised that it truly was a possible reason as to why Sasuke was as powerful as he was. Sakura knew that Orochimaru altered chakra and she had seen it in Yamato. "… Yeah, I guess. But remember, he was rather powerful at a young age." She knew that Kakashi would be angry that she just defended the Uchiha, but the jonin did not say anything.

* * *

A few days later, Sasuke was sitting upright on a futon. His eyes were bandaged up with his raven spikes jutted out everywhere. The Uchiha felt rather powerful. Sore, but powerful. He had to wait a good few days before he could take off the bandages. Sasuke then frowned to himself. Why had Kakashi said what he had to Sakura? _"_**Sakura… you can't reach out to him. Don't anger him either, in the state you're in… you can't do a thing…**"

Why would Kakashi say that to his own student? It made no sense to the Uchiha monarch. He shook his head to clear the thoughts that had been bothering him for a long time. "Well… how does it feel?" a deep voice asked, causing Sasuke to flinch. He was not paying attention to his surroundings at all. That was not a good thing.

"Hurts… but I feel like I'm getting more and more powerful with each passing moment." The avenger answered easily as he gave a smirk that showed his evil intent. "I'll be able to kill that dobe and destroy his _precious _village." Sasuke then cackled evilly afterwards.

Obito seemed a little worried with this, "Be careful with your thoughts, Sasuke. Don't get too cocky or you may not win."

"Shut up." The younger Uchiha muttered lowly.

Tobi sighed and then turned on his heel, "I'll get some food in here later. Rest up, Sasuke."

* * *

Sakura gently banged her fist against her shishou's door. She was ordered by Kakashi to tell the blonde woman about her pregnancy, and in all honesty… Sakura was terrified. A loud 'come in' was heard and Sakura made her way into the Hokage's office. Tsunade had only recently awoken from her comatose state and was watching her student with a smile. "What's needed, Sakura? I was hoping to see you without having to have you check over me."

"Um… I think you're going to get angry…" the rosette said as she walked inside of the room and closed the door behind her. "Can we talk somewhere… private? This is information that cannot be sent to the public or be heard by anyone else – especially the elders."

Tsunade rose a blonde eyebrow, "Nani? Here is fine. The place is sealed by a jutsu to make sure that conversations are kept secret, so here is fine. But why are you not wanting the elders to know? What is going on?"

"You'll understand…" the pregnant rosette whispered and bit her lip, "See… I don't know how you're going to take this but…" deep breath from Sakura's end. "I'm pregnant."

Tsunade's hazel eyes widened and she choked on her own saliva, "What!? How can this be, Sakura?" the blonde's eyes then narrowed, "Whose is it?"

"… Sasuke Uchiha." The rosette said and then stiffened when Tsunade slammed her fist down onto the desk, causing wooden splinters to be sent out like shrapnel from a grenade.

The Senju took a deep breath in a hope to calm herself down, and luckily it worked. "… Now I understand. Are you… going to keep it, Sakura?"

"Hai… I know that Sasuke said that the night we were together was a form of release to him, but I want to keep something that belonged to him… I can't bear the thought of killing a child – _my_ child, either." The rosette answered as if she had been reciting it over and over in her head, which had actually been the case.

Sakura's teacher rose and walked over to Sakura, "Alright… I want to do a check-up tomorrow, understood?"

"Aren't you going to ask what had happened to get me like this?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade clicked her tongue and then shook her head, "Iie. I can tell what happened. You're in love with the guy, I understand."

"You do?"

"What do you think I am? A woman who's never fallen in love? Mattaku… I'm going to have to tell you a few stories, my student." Tsunade then ruffled Sakura's hair like she had done when the rosette was a child. "I want you to keep this under wraps for as long as you can. But I would tell Naruto and the rest of the Rookie 9. They won't say anything, I know they won't. Or, I'll break their necks and throw them into Sound."

Sakura giggled at her teacher's behaviour and then sighed, "Arigatou, shisou."

"You are my student, Sakura. I'm not angry with you, don't worry."

* * *

Naruto was once more resuming his training on Mount Myoboku so he could become stronger and defend his village against Uchiha Sasuke. A toad was currently stuffing itself in Naruto's mouth, causing the poor Uzumaki to nearly gag at the feeling of a slimy, icky, green thing forcing its way inside of the kyuubi-container's mouth without any regard to the feeling that Naruto was now feeling. He felt like throwing up. That's all there was to it.

Fukasaku then kicked Naruto square in the jaw, causing him to swallow the frog. Naruto fell to the ground and began wheezing and trying to cough up the thing that truly did not belong in the Uzumaki's stomach. Naruto cursed and then glared up at the toad that taught him Sage Mode with a lot of anger. The green toad then mumbled, "It's time to go back to Konoha, everything is done now."

"Heh… good…" Naruto wheezed and clutched his throat before turning green and collapsing to the ground. Fukasaku sighed and sat down beside the knocked out body of Uzumaki Naruto. He could not believe that the one that defeated Pein singlehandedly was _this _young man. It was rather astonishing, however.

Naruto then sat up and looked at the large, geezer toad that was watching the sixteen-year old with a rather large grin. The Uzumaki was still drooling and could still feel the feeling of a toad being stuffed down his throat, but spoke nonetheless. "I have to look for an octopus, ne? Where is it, anyways? Can't you give me a _little _hint?"

The elder toad scratched his chin thoughtfully before letting out, "I do not know exactly, but I _do _know that it's on a solitary island where people do not approach. A paradise for _all _animals… If you were to ask me, it'd be like a pleasant resort. The octopus there should help you out. You'll definitely need the help, boy."

Naruto then saluted and grinned, "Got it, 'ttbayo!"

"Time to go back, Naruto-boy!" the old toad sage said as he clasped his fingers together and summoned a slight amount of chakra.

Naruto then reappeared in Ichiraku's Ramen and grinned massively. "What a great place to stop!" he said and then chuckled to himself.

The owner looked at Naruto and openly gaped, "Where'd you even go!? I was wondering where you went!"

Naruto gave a friendly grin, "Just a little business."

A random shinobi smiled at Naruto and then said, "Oh! It's the saviour of the Hidden Leaf!"

Another shinobi then said, "I didn't expect to see you in a place like this! Ah, that's right! Can I have an autograph? I have a kid and he's a _huge _fan of yours!"

Naruto seemed a little confused and murmured, "Autograph?"

The other shinobi who did not ask for the autograph said, "The Hero of Konoha, the boy who made miracles happen, Uzumaki Naruto! Can I also have one?"

Naruto stayed silent and then scratched the back of his head and then grinned nervously. The man who wore a beanie over his head tilted his head, "What…? No good?"

"Iie, iie, iie! It's just… I'm not really used to being asked for this type of stuff! I haven't _ever _signed anything…" Naruto replied a little nervously with a slight blush marring his whiskered cheeks.

The owner of the ramen shop then cut in with, "Before you ask my patron for autographs, would you mind letting the boy eat his ramen?"

The beanie wearing shinobi mumbled back awkwardly, "Oh… alright." Before sitting back down.

Naruto looked up to the roof and yelled out, "Time to eat!" before gobbling down his meal.

* * *

A few hours later, the Fifth Hokage had summoned all of the members of team Kakashi to her office to speak of a few things, namely Sakura's pregnancy.

"Alright, before you go to Island Turtle, there is some news that you need to know, Naruto." The Fifth Hokage said as she gave a side-long glance to her student before sighing. Sai, Yamato, Kakashi and Naruto were all in the room awaiting what the busty Hokage wanted to say. "Now, I know that this news will be rather hard to take, but don't judge. Okay, Sakura… go ahead."

Sakura coughed. She was fine saying this to Tsunade since that woman was more caring – well, at least in the sense to not ask twenty hundred thousand questions. But Naruto was _sure _to ask a lot of questions. Sakura was also sure that Sai would not have anything nice to say about the news that she was ordered to tell her teammates, but it was not the emotionless nin's problem, now was it? "Okay… Naruto, Sai… Yamato-taichou… This might be a shock, but I've…" she took a deep breath, "… I'm pregnant."

Nothing was said in the room, Naruto and Sai had fake smiles plastered on their faces. The rosette could tell that they were angry. She could not blame them, however. Yamato was the first to speak, "Seeing as these two are too shocked to say anything, who is the father?" First question of the day… Sakura did not like that question; not one bit.

"Sasuke-kun." She answered and heard a sharp intake of air from Naruto's side. Sai's smile dropped and a frown fell into its position. He was… confused about this.

The blond then spoke up this time, but only said one word: "_Why_?" his voice was pained, Sakura was not too sure why.

"I… I don't know, it just _happened_. Y'know? I… I don't regret it though, so I… won't deny it." The rosette said and then fisted her pink apron skirt.

Sai scowled again, "Why Traitor, Ugly?"

The rosette already knew who Sai was talking about and did not actually feel any anger towards him for using the nickname that she one-hundred percent despised. "I… love him, so I couldn't… I couldn't say no to him. You didn't see him that night, you would have understood-…"

"Enough of this, don't patronize Sakura. Sai, Naruto… I know you two count Sakura as a member of your family, but don't get angry at her for something that was her choice. I know that you – especially Naruto, feel as if you have been betrayed. But she may be another way to get Sasuke back, even though I highly doubt it." Yamato muttered.

Sakura shook her head, "Iie. I don't want Sasuke-kun to have any wind of this. Plus, I don't think he'd care."

"What?" Naruto choked out, "Why the fuck wouldn't he care? It's his fault that this happened!"

Sakura gritted her teeth and did her best not to walk up to Naruto and knock some sense into him, "Last time I checked," she spoke through clenched teeth, "… it takes two to make a child, Naruto."

"Fine then! I'm leaving!" Naruto snarled and stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

Sakura stiffened and then looked down before feeling a wave of nausea hit her, she could not go to a bathroom or anything at this point of time, so she did her best to hold the bile inside of her. Sai raised a brow, "Shouldn't Dickless be happy about this? I mean, Sakura's pregnant. Isn't that a good thing at the end of the day?"

"No… for Naruto, I'm sure he feels as if he's been betrayed." Kakashi said in a low tone.

The rosette shook her head, "I don't think that's it, Kakashi-sensei. He's been going out with Hinata-chan for quite a while."

"Oh? I haven't heard of this." Kakashi said with a surprised look on his usually composed face.

Sakura nodded her head, "Naruto classes me as more of a sister. I think he's just annoyed that Sasuke-kun came to me, but that was before Sasuke-kun turned into the monster that he is now."

"That may be right, Sakura. But I would go and speak to him about it and resolve this issue before it impacts the team… but after Naruto's mission." Yamato grumbled after Sakura had finished what she said.

The rosette sent a glower in her teacher's direction, "Why is it that we say that this 'mission' is a mission? I mean, Naruto should know what's going on!"

"No. Naruto would act out of hand and plainly on instinct. You know how that idiot is." Kakashi breathed.

The pink-haired woman shook her head, "Yes, yes… but like I said, he should know. I don't know… why didn't you just let him fight in the war alongside us?"

"_You're _not fighting in the war either, Sakura." Tsunade said.

Sakura shot a glare in her teacher's general direction, "Why the hell not? I'm a medical ninja that can actually fight. I can be of some-…"

"Be happy that you're still able to stay on the medical squad, Sakura." Kakashi interjected.

The rosette nodded her head, giving up with fighting with both Kakashi and Tsunade. That would be a stupid fight that Sakura knew that she definitely would not win. Plus, she would be more of a burden on the battle-field since her chakra is playing up. "Yeah… at least I can help people, I guess."

"Alright then… you're all dismissed, other than you Sakura, I have a few more things to say." Tsunade announced and then waved her hand to dismiss the others.

* * *

Kabuto grinned to himself as he looked at the many coffins ahead of him. "What is it that you want?" a deep voice asked as footsteps followed afterwards. Tobi stopped in front of the many coffins and scowled underneath his orange mask before gazing over at the snake-nin.

"Aa… you see, I want to help you. We have common interests, yes? I can give you the members of the Akatsuki as well as other choice players that have passed away. But for a price, of course." Kabuto said as he petted the tail which was basically a snake.

Tobi's Sharingan eye narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, well…" with a wave of his scaly hand, the lids of the coffins fell to the ground, revealing: Deidara, Nagato, Kazuku and lastly, Uchiha Itachi. "I can bring these – as well as others, to life."

"Prove it." Obito muttered.

Kabuto did a few handsigns and finally, each of the bodies in the open coffins opened their eyes. "I can give more of a… show, but I'm sure that you wouldn't want Sasuke-kun to see anything, ne?"

"Not that he can see at the moment, but yes… what is it that you want?" Tobi asked as he inspected the lifeless, but oddly enough motionful, shinobi before him.

The snake looked at his long nails and then cackled, "I just want a certain Uchiha; Sasuke Uchiha to be exact."

"Now?" Obito muttered and glared at the man, "Iie. No way. I need him."

Kabuto rose a silver eyebrow, "Why?"

"He's of use to me still." Obito answered and then frowned at the snake-like man, underneath his mask of course.

"Hm… after the war then? Will he be useful to you then?"

"… No. It's a deal then."

"To get the record straight, we're not working together. We're merely… going for the same _interests_."

"Aa. I thought so."

* * *

Naruto glared over at the water below the boat. He was still so, so angry, but he had a mission to control the Nine-tails. The wood-user came over and stood beside the Uzumaki as he leaned against the railing, "Are you feeling better, Naruto?"

The Uzumaki shook his head and gripped the bars tightly, "Is that a stupid question?" the blond asked as he shot a look of death to the one man that could control the beast inside of him. Yamato listened intently, however. The wood-user was still a little shocked with Sakura's pregnancy, like Naruto, but… oddly enough, he was not angry. "Sakura-chan's pregnant with my best-friend's kid and he's gone fucking insane with wanting to destroy the village." He let out a sigh before continuing, "Why is it that all of this shit happens at the wrong time?"

"Everything happens for a reason, Naruto. You should know that for yourself." Yamato said honestly.

The kyuubi-container rolled his clouded, blue eyes. "Yes, I do know that. But I… what if Sasuke only used her, huh? He knows that she's _totally _in love with him."

"I'm sure that he does know that, Naruto. But we, ourselves, cannot be certain if he merely used her." The wood-user said in response to Naruto's statement.

Naruto let out a snort, "Why are you defending him?"

Yamato scowled, "I'm _not_. I'm merely stating the facts, Naruto."

"Heh… yeah, whatever." Naruto said bitterly before pushing himself away from the boat's edge.

The one who knew jutsu from the First followed him, "Why is it that you're so angry about this, Naruto? In the end, it _was _Sakura's choice."

"Hai… that may be true, but… I thought I was the one closest to Sasuke. He didn't pay much attention to Sakura… never. I knew he _cared _for her, but not to that extent. That's why I think he just used her, knowing full-well that Sakura would do anything to keep the bastard happy."

"It's love, Naruto. I'm sure Hinata-sama would do the same in the same situation."

"Iie! But I would _never _leave her pregnant, nor would I vow to destroy her home – _our _home!"

"Sasuke doesn't know. Things might be different if he-…"

"Sakura doesn't want the asshole to know."

"Can you blame her?"

". . ."

"She wants to protect the child that she is carrying."

"What she should have done is get rid of it."

A shocked expression from Yamato's direction. He closed his gaping mouth and then said, "You don't honestly mean that."

"Dunno… I'm too angry. For now, I really could care less."

"Naruto! She is _like _your sister, trust Sakura. She will do what she must!"

The Uzumaki sighed in defeat before plastering an extremely fake smile on his whiskered face, "I'm fine now… Don't worry about it, Yamato-taichou."

"Naruto-…"

"Shush… I've had enough of this, for now. Alright?"

"Fine, but-…"

"No! Just be quiet!" the mask was gone in a flash.

"Naruto, you can't just-…"

The Uzumaki stormed off before he could hear what it was that his other sensei wanted to say.

* * *

When the group had finally arrived to the large beast, Naruto had calmed down a little but was still rather angry about the entire situation. His mood did not improve when he was saved by the Eight-tails jinchuuriki who nearly devoured him whole. It was a rather large embarrassment for the saviour of the Hidden Leaf.

"So… how long will we stay here, Yamato-taichou?" Naruto asked as he gazed at the wood-user who was scratching his chin.

Yamato then shrugged, "As long as it takes to get the Nine-tails under your control, Naruto."

"Oh… Well, that'll be _real _quick!" the Uzumaki exclaimed and then looked around the island. It was very beautiful with many different creatures giving out their cries. A gentle wind blew through the area. Naruto's hair softly swayed with the breeze as he took a deep breath.

Killer Bee was standing – well, leaning against a tree – awaiting orders from the Lightning-nin. He looked at the younger jinchuuriki and frowned, he was sure that this kid was weak and did not know – or even begin to comprehend – on how to become friends – or even allies, with his tailed-beast. Killer Bee decided that he _may _help out the kid, at least if he proves himself worthy of being trained. Or at least, give him hints.

* * *

A few days had passed and preparations for the war were underway. Tsunade was busying herself with paperwork and was actually with the other kages in another Kage Summit. She was trying to figure out _who _would be best to fight as the leader of each company. The other kages believed that Hatake Kakashi was a smart choice, as well as Nara Shikaku. Both of which, Tsunade totally believed in.

Sakura, on the other hand, was dealing with the _lovely _morning sickness and mood swings of her pregnancy. "Kami…" she sighed and wiped her brow with her un-gloved hand. Sweat fell onto the floor as she stood up. Lately, especially in the last two days, she had been thinking of Sasuke for whatever odd reason it is. She wiped her lips, to rid herself of the bile. Flushing the toilet, Sakura closed the lid and sat down before dragging her legs up to her chest whilst sitting on the porcelain toilet. '_Why am I thinking of Sasuke-kun?_' she mused to herself. It was understandable that she missed him as much as she did, that was not her fault. After all, she did _love _him. Her liquid green eyes became cloudy.

"**... That… was only to release my frustration. That is all.**" Did Sasuke not know just how much that hurt her? His needs were once again the only thing in his mind. Even then. When Sakura had given him the very last thing that meant so, so much to her. She felt sick again, but not from pregnancy sickness… just from the thought that Sakura indeed fell for the Uchiha's trap again. How many times does he want to hurt her with words alone? Did Sasuke find enjoyment at watching her suffer? The rosette was beginning to believe that was all that he thought of – his own amusement. It hurt. So _fucking _much. But Sakura could not stop thinking of that night, the feeling of him inside of her, and the way he kissed her and touched her in such an intimate and gentle way. It was as if he thought she was glass underneath his rough hands.

So, why did Sasuke stay that she was a mere use of… release? The way he acted then – as in on that night, did not prove that. Tears pricked at her eyes. No, no… she would not cry. She has done enough of that. Should this not be the happiest time of her life? After all, she was pregnant… with a healthy child, no less. Sure, she has only known about the pregnancy for just a little over a week, but she's happy – so happy! But sad at the same time. Mainly because the man that had given Sakura this, this important gift was nowhere to be found! Not that she wanted him to know about this, it was not over Sakura wanting to be the _only _parent of her child… but the _fear _of Sasuke finding out. He might do something so bad to the baby… like killing him or her, just out of the reason that the child had Sakura's blood inside him or her. Sakura then walked out of the toilet, washing her hands before-hand, of course – and headed back into her bedroom before sitting on a chair.

About ten minutes later, "Oi…" a hoarse voice grunted from outside of Sakura's window. The rosette froze and glanced over to see a cloaked man outside, standing atop of the branch of the sakura tree outside of the rosette's home.

The medical-nin shivered, she could not tell if this was Toshiro… and it would be a bad thing if – "Hey… I need to talk to you, and I'll find a way in… Sakura."

"H… Hai." Such a risk Sakura was taking.

She unlocked the window and stepped backwards. The cloaked figure jumped in. He greeted her with a grunt and looked around. "Mattaku… you know how long it took to find this place?" he asked, the hoarse tone still there before he shook his head.

"What… are you doing here? Are you Toshiro?" Sakura asked and wrapped her arms around herself, in a form of protection.

The unknown figure gazed over the pregnant woman and noticed that she had already put on a little weight. "I just came to see if you're fine, and yes… I am Toshiro."

"Huh? Why?" Sakura asked.

Toshiro smirked, to the point where Sakura could see. She noticed that the cloak that he was wearing was different and seemed to have the sleeves ripped off in a haste. The cloak also had a lining of silver on the outside of the hood. "Ano… I just wanted to make sure that everything is fine, especially since me and my group are in the area."

"Oh…" Sakura answered without even bothering to ask another question.

"Um… well… I'm hoping to help all of you with the war, when it happens. I just…" he frowned, his emerald eyes narrowing a little with the action. "… have some things to do."

Sakura tilted her head in obvious confusion, "What is it you need to do, Toshiro?"

"Hn… I have to do something that I cannot tell you about."

"Aaahh… I see, another one of these, ne?"

"Hai. … Gomen, I know it's a bother, but it's rather hard to explain…" the hooded-Toshiro scratched the back of his head and smirked once more.

She then looked at his clothing – well, _cloak _once more. "Why did you rip off the sleeves, Toshiro?"

He looked at himself and then understood, "It's hard to be around here in this type of clothing… especially with how hot the Fire Country is."

Yes. That made sense. Toshiro then looked back out the window, "It's time for me to leave now… have a good evening."

"Um ye-…" and he was gone before Sakura could even say her farewell. She sighed… she honestly wanted to know just _who _was hiding underneath that cloak. For whatever reason, Sakura felt like she could trust that guy. She did not understand exactly _why _that was the fact and it somewhat scared her a little. Her mood has rose thanks to that guy… she should thank him. At least, the next time she saw him.

The rosette then looked out the window and then frowned to herself, she wished that she had not. Her small hands had found their way to her small bump of a stomach. The moon was in the _exact _same shape that it was when Sasuke had first left the village, tears were already threatening to flow. And the moon was in the same shape as when they… when they… Her eyes became even more watery than they already were.

She flopped her body down onto her small double bed and pulled her leg up so it was sitting up right. She turned her head and looked out the window. Her bed was positioned so that one of the two windows were right in front of the bed, while the other was a longer one that led near a large sakura tree that had been there ever since Sakura was young. This apartment was her own, of course. Her parent's house was down the street. They also learned of their daughter's pregnancy and were oddly… fine with it.

This one surprised Sakura, mainly because she thought that her father would be _extremely _angry and pissed. But… he was not. He was… understanding. So understanding. It was as if he _understood_. Maybe he did? Sakura's father seemed to be a little bit of jokester, not that he was good at it. But he often got angry at this type of thing. He knew of the father of Sakura's unborn child. Still, he did not get angry. Neither did Sakura's mother. She felt like she failed her parents, however. Sakura was pregnant at the age of seventeen. Not that many kunoichi would mind. Many of which fell pregnant at seventeen or older since a shinobi's life was so… fleeting. But Sakura did not want to carry a child until she was past her mid-twenties. But that was thrown out the door when Sasuke decided to meet her on a mission.

Even now, Sakura wonders why it is that Sasuke had been able to find her easily. It was like… like it was _fate_. Not that Sakura believed in that too much. But then again, she _was _the one that could tell when something was up with Sasuke. When… when he left the village, she _felt _it inside of her heart. It was hard to explain, but she could _feel _him wanting to leave and even when he made the final decision. That was why she went to the way out of the village, and like she felt, there he was with a bag… ready to leave.

In some way, maybe Sakura was the _only _one who was able to tell when Sasuke was about to make certain decisions. Not that she would know for sure, of course.

* * *

About a day or so later, Toshiro, Ami, Renji and Juugo were wandering about rather mindlessly. "Why is it that we're walking around like zombies…?" the Uzumaki sighed as he wiped a bead of sweat which was located at the top of his blond brow.

Juugo seemed fine with walking around, birds had landed on his shoulder and he was silently chatting to them. Ami liked Juugo, he had stayed in the village and helped Karin raise her. In Ami's eyes, Juugo was a lot like her uncle rather than just being a member of her mother's team. "It seems that a war is brewing, that's what this one told me." He said, obviously talking about the bird.

"Aa…" Toshiro sighed and stiffened, "It already feels like a warzone. Many shinobi were deported out this morning, probably headed off to where the battle-zone would be."

The orange brute looked at the coated Uchiha with a brow raised, "How do you know that?"

"I went out and saw Sakura last night, I stayed around for a little bit." Toshiro answered as he bit down on his nail. He was a little anxious. In only a few short days… all hell will break loose.

Renji, noticing Toshiro's hesitancy, spoke up. "Y'know…" he wanted to change the subject, "Tomatoes are in season now." '_Lame…_' he thought to himself with a scowl.

"Heh…" the Uchiha smirked underneath the cover of his black hood, "I would _kill _for some tomatoes."

Ami rolled her purple eyes, "Why is it that you love tomatoes so much? They're not that great, Toshiro."

"Hn… I actually don't know." The Uchiha said thoughtfully before shrugging it off.

"Toshiro, you remind me a lot of Sasuke-sama." Juugo stated.

The Uchiha froze and actually stopped walking, "… H… How so?"

"Your chakra… it feels like his as well as the way you are talking – at least, before Sasuke-sama lost his mind." The original Curse-Mark user said. "Why is it that you don't like that, Toshiro?"

Renji watched Toshiro for a moment, "… I see."

"Hm…" Ami agreed and nodded her head, allowing a few strands of her thick, crimson mane to slide out.

Juugo noticed that as well and scowled, "You also remind me of Karin. Explain."

"Eh…" Ami looked at Toshiro to tell her what to do, but he was too busy with his own thoughts.

The Uzumaki sighed, "Look… now isn't the time for questions, Juugo."

"I would like to know who it is that I'm working with for the moment. Is that a bad thing?" the brute asked as he watched the entire team with cautious brown eyes.

Renji shook his head furiously, "Iie, iie, iie! It's just… we can't really share that… I mean, it's not like you'd _actually _believe us if we told you what's goin' on."

"Try me." Juugo said bravely.

". . ." Toshiro stayed silent and looked to his teammates.

Renji nodded his head, while Ami had her hand against her chest.

Looks like Juugo is in for a tale.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Notes; **long chapter today. Hope it's fine for you guys. Just so ya'll know, this story actually doesn't seem that long. I think I might have maybe another four chapters for _myself _to write. I'm not going to tell you guys how much chapters that I have already written though. Anyways, just so you guys know, I'm not very good at fighting scenes and I much prefer adding dialogue.

Another thing, sorry if the characters are a bit OOC, but honestly, it's hard to keep them in-character all of the time.


	5. The Pinkette Leaves Konoha

**Part 3 **

_Sasuke moved to Sakura's shorts and took them off before she could say anything. Sakura looked up at the Uchiha with innocent, emerald eyes. "Sasuke-kun…" she breathed as he pressed a chaste kiss against her nose lovingly._

_"I want to be inside of you, Sakura." The Uchiha growled as he slipped his fingers inside of her white panties which were now drenched in her fluids._

_The rosette hiccupped in response as he ran his fingers over her opening before touching the bundle of nerves that was located near her entrance, causing Sakura to gasp out in apparent shock. "Have you touched yourself to the thoughts of me, Sa-ku-ra?" the Uchiha monarch asked hotly as he slipped his index finger inside her. He expertly twirled his finger inside of her, clearly knowing what it was that he was doing. _

_"Gah..." the rose-haired medical nin moaned lightly. Sasuke's lone finger probed her, feeling everything that was in her virgin cavern. He then felt the slight change of the texture of her walls, smirking to himself, he finally found what it was that he was looking for. He pressed down against it, making Sakura turn into putty in his hands. She gasped before moaning loudly and called out his name multiple times._

_The rosette felt pressure building in the lower part of her stomach and when Sasuke had touched that magical spot inside of her, it nearly burst. Sakura was so, so close to finishing. "Sasuke-kun… onegai, more!"_

_Sasuke groaned and then added another finger to add to his sweet torture. He then decided it would be best to stretch her, he scissored his fingers, eliciting a groan from the woman below him. Sasuke's Sharingan eyes snapped onto hers, noticing the look of pain. He stopped his fingers for a moment and kissed Sakura's lips in what seemed to be an apology. The rosette nodded into the kiss as Sasuke removed his fingers, much to Sakura's dismay. He then pulled down her panties, allowing her to be revealed in all of her naked glory._

_Allowing his fingers to return to inside of her; he allowed two fingers in straight away. He moved back to stretching her and making her ready for him. The rosette turned her head side to side, rumpling Sasuke's haori. The look of discomfort stayed on Sakura's face for a while longer. The Uchiha knew that this was hurting her, but it would be best for him to get her ready. He then thought about breaking her barrier now. That may make it easier on her, but he dismissed the thought as she may not allow him to actually have his way with her if she knows the pain of one's first time. The Sharingan-user kept his eyes on Sakura's face; making sure that the look of pain did not turn into agony. His fingers kept on moving until he felt the barrier that concealed her innocence, for a moment, he thought about it, but then dismissed it. The Uchiha rubbed against her g-spot, causing Sakura to jerk. "I have to prepare you, you know that, ne?"_

_Sakura let out an incoherent whisper as she felt herself close to finishing; the pain from earlier was replaced with the pleasure of Sasuke hitting her g-spot in such a way. The Uchiha nuzzled her chest before slipping a rosy nipple into his mouth, using his glossa to swivel it, switching the nipple between his teeth._

_The combination of this formed the clamping of her walls against his lithe fingers, "You're coming…" Sasuke mumbled as he placed a chaste kiss against the hollow of her throat._

_The rosette, not too sure of how to react, cried out and felt the feeling of pure pleasure attack her body. She turned her head and groaned as Sasuke continued moving his fingers inside of her. When Sakura's orgasm concluded, he withdrew his fingers (licking them clean right afterwards) and took off his shoes and shrugged off his pants and purple obi. _

_Sakura blushed, realizing that Sasuke had went commando. "N-Now?" she squeaked._

_Sasuke smirked as he pulled Sakura up to him, in a sitting position with his erection pressing against her opening. The rosette gulped as Sasuke watched her for a moment, asking for her confirmation. "This will hurt, Sakura. Tell me that you want this…"_

_The rosette thought about the consequences (like sleeping with a criminal!) and the fact that this was her first time (and she could never gain her virginity back). She bit her lip, but then again… this was the man that Sakura loved and she would only _ever _give her virginity to. "H… Hai. Gentle, Sasuke-kun, onegai."_

_The Uchiha tilted his head before nodding.  
_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_Sasuke felt, guilty. The feeling of being one was supposed to be one where both parties enjoyed the experience. Then again, the Uchiha _knew _that she was indeed a virgin. Sasuke had never actually _been _with a virgin, so he had no way in hell of knowing that he should have been more careful. He at least knew that it would have hurt her, but he did not expect her to be crying in this type of way. She was… trying to be quiet. She did not want him to know that she was in pain. Kissing her, he tried to tell her that he did not mean to. He _never _meant to hurt her like that._

_The rose-haired medic sniffled and watched Sasuke; his Sharingan had dissipated and his eyes were as soft as she has ever seen them. He gently leaned down and kissed away her tears before kissing her nose in a way to tell her to calm down. Sakura closed her eyes, it hurt. It hurt so much… but she could tell that one-time Konoha-nin _was_ enjoying himself, even though the rosette was in pain. The medic opened her eyes once more and moved slightly, wincing, to kiss Sasuke. It was a gentle kiss, it was supposed to calm down Sasuke and it seemed to do that. The Uchiha kissed her back, not adding much pressure into the kiss; it was meant to be a way to make Sakura know that he was sorry, even though he did apologize earlier._

_"It's okay now, Sasuke-kun…" the rosette whispered against his lips as she broke the kiss and watched him with her innocent eyes. "Move."_

_Sasuke hesitated, but did as he was told._

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 5 – The Pinkette Leaves Konoha**

* * *

"… So that's it." The Uchiha said as he pulled the hood of his cloak back onto his head.

The original Curse-Mark user's eyes were as wide as satellites and he looked as if he could faint at any moment from shock or disbelief. "... Well, I don't know whether or not I can-…"

Renji interrupted him, his hood already back on his head, "How can you _not _believe Toshiro? I mean, the Uchiha clan were all slaughtered by Itachi Uchiha and it's obvious that Toshiro isn't a full-blood Uchiha."

"That's true but-…" once more Juugo was interrupted, "Hai, hai… you may as well delete Juugo-oji's memories, there's no point in him being around if he doesn't believe us. If we're not careful, he'll run to your father, Toshiro-kun." Ami said as she played with her crimson hair, obviously still not putting on the black hood just yet.

The Uchiha shook his head, "I highly doubt that if he himself didn't believe us, then Otou-san nor anybody else will believe him."

"Oh…" Ami sighed and then looked to Juugo sadly with the eyes she inherited off of her father, "Trust us-…"

Another man was now standing with them, and the only chakra this could belong to was – "Sasuke-sama…"

"Aa." The 'future' Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement to his one-time teammate, "What my son and his teammates were saying is true, Juugo. It's up to you whether or not you believe them, but it would be best to stay quiet about this all. As it is, the mother of Toshiro in this time is already in danger of being captured."

"Who is the mother?" Juugo asked.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders before sighing, "I can't tell you that."

"I know now, right? Can't you tell me because of-…?"

"Iie. It's harder than you think. I would rather _her _not being put into _any _danger."

Toshiro glanced at his father underneath his dark eyelashes, "Wouldn't it be best to tell him?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

Ami smiled, "If Juugo knows, he might tell your younger self… meaning that he will know that-…"

"Iie!" the Uchiha disagreed already. He already _knew _what would happen if his younger self found out about it.

The Uchiha heir glared at his father, "Why the fuck not?"

"Because I said-…" the Eternal Mangekyou-user growled when he was once-more interrupted, but this time it was by his former teammate.

Juugo took a deep breath, "Look… Whatever reason it is, I won't tell."

"Haruno… Sakura." Sasuke said through clenched teeth and did not look away from his son's emerald eyes.

Juugo's eyes widened a slight bit, "You mean… that woman that was at the bridge a few days ago?"

"… Hai." The mid-thirties Uchiha said.

The orange-haired man pressed a tanned finger against his chin thoughtfully as "future" Sasuke disappeared without saying anything else. "Hm… I would like to check this out for myself," he then gazed at Toshiro, "… but I'm presuming that you won't allow me to do so, yes?"

"Hn…" Toshiro dipped his head and then looked around, "So… Since when could Otou-san project himself through gen-jutsu?"

Ami answered, "You see, he told us not to fuck up the future too much the first time, and he said that he has set up gen-jutsu for us – as well as others – to see."

"Okay." Toshiro responded and nodded his head.

* * *

About a week had passed and Naruto had fought against the one that basically made him 'hateful'. His hateful side was known as 'Dark Naruto'. Dark Naruto was much different compared to this Naruto, it seemed that he had given up on the villages. But Naruto beat the other Naruto through hugging him. This made Dark Naruto believe in himself, as well as the current Naruto.

The Uzumaki had also only just met his mother, Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto also vowed to help the kyuubi, at least when he finds out where this… extremely dark chakra came from. Naruto's golden chakra flowed off of him gently, making the already bright room possibly even brighter. "Hey… that sword…" Naruto pointed at Samehada.

"Huh?" Killer Bee mumbled and watched the Uzumaki with a lot of confusion. "What's up, motha-fucka?"

"That chakra… I don't know how to describe it, but it's dark and full of hatred." The Uzumaki explained and then, out of nowhere, the sword shifted into something else entirely.

The Eight-Tail's jinchuuriki pointed at the newly formed person, "Hey it's that motha-fucka I fought!"

"Well, it seems that the boy can now sense hatred, huh? Well, I have to leave…" And with that, the shark-man smashed through the wall, leaving behind two shocked jinchuuriki and one bewildered Yamato.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura was watching Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon fighting against one another. Ebisu watched over them and often stopped the kids for a while. The rosette had a nostalgic feeling, she was sure that this was what it was like with the old days. When team 7 were all together. She missed those days.

"Ugly? Should you be out?" Sai asked as he looked down at Sakura. She was sitting on the ground, cradling her bump of a stomach.

The rosette gave a side-ways glance to her ebony-haired teammate, "I may be… _yeah_, but I'm not going to stick around at home all day."

"But you're a high-risk target now." Sai stated.

Sakura shook her head, "Only the Rookie 9 know about it, nobody else does."

"Yeah, but-…"

"No buts. I'm staying out here and that's final." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away rather defiantly.

Sai rolled his black eyes before sitting down beside the with-child kunoichi, "You're so stubborn, Ugly."

"And you're clueless." She shot right back.

"Hm…" Sai then pulled out a scroll and began using a paintbrush to draw.

After a few moments, Sakura asked; "Whatcha doing?"

"Drawing."

The woman pouted before trying once more, "I was meaning: what is it that you're drawing?"

"Oh. Well, I'm just dabbling." He answered easily, another well aimed stroke.

Sakura liked Sai quite a bit now. She trusted him a lot. He has proven himself worthy. But Sakura feels extremely sorry for the ex-ROOT-nin. He hated it that people still compared him to Uchiha Sasuke, when there was _absolutely _no way that those two were anything alike.

"Are you going to add colour?" Sakura asked out of pure curiosity. She noticed that what he was drawing was starting to look like a large hawk carrying off a snake in its talons.

He bit his lips before shrugging his shoulders. "Dunno."

"Oh…" she sighed before refocusing her gaze on Konohamaru and the others.

"Would you like me to add colour, Ugly?" Sai asked.

Sakura looked back at the dark-haired shinobi by her side, "It's your art, Sai. It's really up to you."

"But what would you like me to do, Ugly?"

"Um… I guess it'd look really cool if you use dark colours mainly and highlight it with bright colours."

He tilted his head in a little confusion as his gaze fell onto the kunoichi that he had begun to count as his younger sister, "Have you been looking at art books?"

"No. It's just that I reckon it'd be cool." The rosette answered truthfully.

Sai nodded his head and began doing the eyes on the hawk; a haunting red. The hawk itself had deep black feathers. The snake was left colourless; white. That… reminded Sakura of something.

* * *

[_A few days later…_]

An undead Uchiha was holding up a grey-haired man who looked a lot older than he should have.

The black-haired Uchiha looked around. "It looks like the fight is about to begin."

"Who is Kabuto sending us after?" Nagato asked, a little curiosity dipped into his tone.

Itachi shrugged his shoulders as he held up the sickly man. "Are they close?"

"I don't believe it…" Nagato muttered weakly, "… this feels _so _nostalgic."

Itachi looked ahead and saw someone he did not expect to see; Uzumaki Naruto. His body was cloaked in gold and this made the Uchiha wonder what it was. The feeling of chakra, however, told him what it was a few seconds later. There was another man standing next to Naruto, he had the feeling of being a jinchuuriki. Nagato seemed to notice this as well before smiling very, very faintly once more.

Naruto then yelled out, "N… Nani!? Uchiha Itachi… and Nagato!?"

The man beside Naruto said, "You know them… Naruto?"

The kyuubi container nodded his head furiously, "Hai. I know the both of them!"

Nagato and Itachi frowned. Nagato then said in a scratchy tone, "I never… would have thought that I had to fight you, Naruto. I suppose it's been some time since we last met, but it feels like it has only been a few hours since you were there when I died. You look different, too."

The Uzumaki gazed at his hands, "Oh this! Well, I took control of the Nine-tails' chakra, so I'm in Nine-tails chakra mode!"

Itachi, even though he knew about it, was still shocked nonetheless, "…Nani?"

Nagato nodded his head in approval, "Makes sense… but what I meant was your expression." The white-haired man said with a small hint of a smile.

Naruto smiled back. "You've subjugated the Nine-tails… I would not have guessed that you would have went that far." Itachi said, his Sharingan eyes glinting in the light of the sun.

Nagato chuckled, "We both were the apprentices of the same master… I'm not surprised. Not at all."

Killer Bee decided it was best to rap, "It's 'cause of the training, before he met me he couldn't do a thing!"

Naruto growled at his fellow jinchuuriki, "The hell I couldn't!"

The Rinnegan-user became serious, "Have you conquered your hatred, Naruto?"

"Hai! I had you as a senior apprentice to teach me what pain meant… Bee here trained me at the Falls of Truth. And… I met my okaa-san and otou-san." Naruto said, his eyes glinted with happiness. "I made it this far thanks to all of you!"

Itachi decided to speak up, "Naruto… I need to ask you something."

Naruto became serious once more and nodded his head, "I have something to say to you as well."

Itachi and Nagato stiffened. The Uchiha then puffed his cheeks full of air and did a hand-sign in front of him. Naruto's eyes widened in a little shock. Itachi then performed his clan's signature technique; _Fire style; Fireball jutsu_! Killer Bee used his blade, Samehada to cut through the flames as if it was butter with a butter knife. The blade then hissed at him like a cat to a dog. Killer Bee quickly apologized, "Gomen, gomen! Can't take the heat?"

Naruto yelled out, "I thought we were _talking_!"

Killer Bee explained the situation, "The guy behind the curtain's still controlling them. They could come at _any _time."

Itachi lunged at Naruto and Killer Bee while they were not paying attention and the white-haired-nin warned them, "Heads up!"

Naruto knew already and yelled back, "I know!"

Itachi continued talking as they exchanged blows, "What happened to Sasuke?"

The Uzumaki answered Itachi's question straight away, "He wants to attack the Hidden Leaf and Sakura tried to kill him herself when she was pregnant. She didn't know though. But Sasuke wants to destroy the Hidden Leaf now! Heck, he's even joined the Akatsuki!"

Sharingan eyes narrowed, "What are you talking about? What does it matter that a woman called Sakura is pregnant?"

Naruto dodged more hits from the Uchiha prodigy before continuing, "Look, Sakura is pregnant with your niece or nephew! Sakura-chan is my teammate, she fell pregnant like two months ago! Sasuke didn't know and tried to kill her! But Sasuke wants to destroy the Hidden Leaf because of the secret mission!"

Nagato, who was still standing back and was able to move his own body, was shocked. "N… Nephew or niece and s-secret mission?"

Itachi blocked more hits from both Killer Bee and Naruto, "Why would Sasuke allow the chance of that happening? He should have known the consequences. Does he have any feelings for Sakura? At all? And if so, why won't he return to the village?"

"I don't know what the teme feels… I don't know if he merely used her, but…" his eyes hardened, "… that isn't important at the moment. Madara told us about the mission, Itachi and I know for a fact that Sasuke would have been told as well." Naruto exclaimed as he tried once more to take down Uchiha Itachi.

The Uchiha then jumped backwards and breathed deeply, "I see…"

Naruto's eyes widened, "So that bastard was telling the truth!? The Uchiha clan was planning a coup-…"

"That's enough, Naruto." Itachi said, his tone emotionless.

The Rinnegan-user's eyes widened, "Itachi… is this… really true?"

Naruto continued on, however, "Itachi… you got your hands dirty and made yourself the villain to save Sasuke and the village! I think Sasuke even understands how much pain you went through! … But he doesn't want to share your goals… He's out to crush the Leaf… His own personal war of revenge against the village which made his older brother suffer."

Itachi growled out, "Goddammit… Madara did know about it…" His eyes then fell onto Naruto once more, "Does everyone in the village know of this?"

"Iie! Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou were there when he told me, but Kakashi-sensei said we should keep it under wraps because there's no proof!" Naruto clenched his fists together, "I don't think anyone knows…"

Itachi nodded, "Keep it that way. At least the Uchiha's name will be preserved…"

Nagato then moved on his own, unable to speak and pulled Naruto in with his _Divine Attractor_. The Uzumaki was shocked and gasped out, "Woah!"

A hand then appeared from Naruto's back, made of the golden chakra of the kyuubi. He then swept himself out of the way and Nagato yelled, "Good job, Naruto!"

The Uzumaki nodded his head and grinned lightly, "I'm a lot stronger than when I fought the Six Paths of Pain, y'know!?"

Itachi gazed at Naruto with calm eyes and a soft tone, "I'm counting on you to take care of Sasuke."

Naruto nodded his head furiously, "Now _that_, was always my plan!"

Itachi spoke quietly, "I… was right to trust in you after all."

The Uzumaki then glanced the other way, "But I… think Sakura-chan can help out too. She has… something with Sasuke that I don't have."

Nagato then leaned down, "Naruto! Get away from me, I can't walk on my own!" He then performed a summoning technique. He summoned two creatures; a large bird looking creature and a two-headed dog. "But I can fly…"

Naruto flailed his arms about, "Since when did you even crack jokes!?"

* * *

The Uchiha muttered, "Behind you."

Killer Bee nodded and said back, "On it."

Itachi tossed shuriken and blew fire on them, this was made with the technique of, '_Fire style; Crimson Balsam Nails_'.

The many fiery shuriken were aimed precisely aimed at the Eight-tails jinchuuriki. Killer Bee jumped up with Samehada in hand and then expanded his hand thanks to the power of his beast. "Hot, hot, hot, hot!" he yelled, burns starting to appear in his hand.

A tentacle then appeared out of nowhere and captured the undead Uchiha. "Gotcha, motha-fucka!" Killer Bee cursed whilst rapping. Itachi then disappeared into his signature raven crows. "An illusion!"

"Don't look directly into my eyes." Itachi warned.

The crows flew at Killer Bee while the beast inside of the jinchuuriki tried to get him to work. Killer Bee then moved Samehada in front of him, "Let's go!" before gathering the other swords that were inside of Samehada. Very skilfully, Killer Bee used the blades reflect all of the shuriken.

* * *

Naruto yelled out, "Why won't they stop!?"

Nagato answered with, "Hitting that dog just makes it multiply. You have to defeat me to be rid of it."

The kyuubi-container allowed a growl to rumble in his throat as he glanced at Itachi fighting against Killer Bee. He… hated this. "This isn't right…" he muttered to himself.

The Uchiha then jumped up beside Nagato, his right eye beginning to turn into the powerful Mangekyou. Naruto noticed instantly, "Watch yourself Octopops! If he gets you with _Tsukuyomi_ or _Amaterasu_, you're finished!"

Itachi muttered, "Let's see… what happens."

The Uzumaki then clutched his throat and began to spew up a crow, its right eye shining with the symbol of the Mangekyou. A whole different pattern. It then landed on Naruto's shoulder. The crow then began to fly around for a moment.

Itachi muttered, "Good… it came out."

The Uzumaki choked out, "Why… did I just spit out a crow…?" He then thought about it for a moment and remembered, "I remember… back then… you…"

Blood then began to trickle down Itachi's left eye. Nagato, clearly noticing the situation yelled out, "Naruto! He's going to use _Amaterasu_!"

Killer Bee then pegged his sword in the direction of Itachi with a curse of, "Crap!"

Nagato growled out, "My body's moving again!"

Everything then seemed to freeze as the white-haired man said, "… It's not _Amaterasu_…?"

Itachi was crouching with a hand on the ground, silently. The crow then once more landed on Naruto's shoulder. The crimson eye then faded back to the normal Sharingan. Itachi said, "So… this is how it turns out…"

"… What happened?" Naruto asked, confusion causing this question.

Veins appeared around the Mangekyou in Itachi's eyes as he used the well-known flames which were headed towards the dog summoning. Naruto, now bewildered, muttered, "What… his _Amaterasu _missed?"

Itachi glared over at Nagato. The leader of Akatsuki asked, "That crow… it's yours, isn't it? What did you do to it?" Itachi did not answer the question and then set Nagato on fire with the black flames by using the forbidden technique. He jumped off of the summoning as Nagato fell. The older Uchiha brother landed on a tree.

"Whoa! Why're you…?" Naruto pointed at Itachi with more and more bewilderment gathering in his golden eyes.

Itachi watched Naruto ad then uttered, "Calm down. I'm not under Kabuto's control anymore. I added a new genjutsu on the snake's jutsu. With this, the _Edo-Tensei _performed on me is cancelled. The genjutsu is an order… to 'protect the Hidden Leaf'." Itachi paused so that Naruto could gather his thoughts, "I rigged that crow… so that it would show itself, reacting to my eyes. Just in case…"

Killer Bee then appeared, obviously hearing all of the conversation, "How's that work?"

* * *

Sasuke gave a sick smirk as he pulled off the bandages that covered his eyes. He was ready to use the power that was bestowed upon him from his elder brother. As the bandages fell off, purple chakra surrounded Sasuke. He smirked once more, "Brother… these eyes…" the Uchiha began walking, his eyes opening. A new pattern was formed, his eyes now had a straightened version of Itachi's Mangekyou in the centre. "… are used to me. With this… I'll get revenge – for you and the clan!" the chakra then became a more ominous form of the Susano'o. Rocks fell from the ceiling of the rocky wall.

"H… Hey! What are you doing, Sasuke!?" called the angered voice of Zetsu.

Sasuke's eyes shot onto the white creature. He then grinned manically, "Hn… a test."

Within seconds, the white person was coated in black flames.

* * *

When Nagato was finally defeated, Itachi now had some time to talk to the golden-clad Uzumaki. "Now, about that child… why did Sasuke choose her?"

"Dunno. Anyways, Sakura's that pink-haired girl that was with me-…"

"Her? Hn… I thought so, but I wasn't too sure. Is she coping fine with it?"

"… Again, dunno. I was… kind of angry about it at first, but now I know that I think about it… it is Sakura's choice. She has always loved Sasuke, I know that. She would do anything for him…" the blond said with a sad look, "I just… hope in the end, he didn't use her…"

Itachi smirked lightly, "She loves him… huh? After everything… that is one strong love. I hope she stays that way."

"Nani?" Naruto mumbled and watched the elder brother of his best-friend.

The older Uchiha brother did not explain anything more, as Naruto's chakra ran out. The golden tint to him was removed almost instantly as the Uzumaki looked at his hands in a little shock. "Huh? It ran out?" the blond said with a little bit of confusion.

"Whatcha think, motha-fucka?" Killer Bee said with a shake of his head, "Baka."

Naruto glared over at his fellow jinchuuriki, "That's not cool, Bee."

"Hmph…" Itachi grunted, "It seems that even the kyuubi's chakra has its limit."

"Eh?" Naruto said before sighing, "Yeah… it seems like that. But I'll get the chakra back and win this war!"

Ebony eyebrows formed a school as Itachi regarded Naruto, "Don't think like that."

"Huh?" the Uzumaki was now confused.

"If you think like that, you'll become like Madara. You may have a new power that has made you powerful, but there are people who would help you. If you only act on your own power, you could become someone like Madara." Itachi explained.

Killer Bee, seeming to agree with this logic nodded his head. "That's true."

"Itachi… what are you doing now?" Naruto asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

The Sharingan-user thought about it for a moment, "I will go and stop the _edo-tensei_."

"The _edo-tensei_? Is that the thing that's brought back you and Nagato?"

"Hn."

"Will… you be able to talk to Sasuke before you go and do that?"

Itachi pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "Iie. My brother can figure it out on his own. This is more important than him and me."

"Oh… well, Bee and I will head off then. To the main battle-field. Will you be alright?" Naruto asked as he turned his back on the elder Uchiha sibling.

Itachi grunted, which Naruto took as a 'yes' before running off to his next destination alongside the Eight-tails' jinchuuriki, leaving the long-haired Uchiha on his own. "Hn…" he grunted once more before heading off to where he had felt Kabuto's chakra earlier.

* * *

Meanwhile, Toshiro, Ami, Juugo and Renji were wandering through the bushes, headed towards where the massive surge of chakra was. The Uchiha heir then had a thought, "What about you three head to the battlefield and I'll go and stop the _edo-tensei_?"

"Huh?" Ami halted and looked at the Sharingan-user with a little confusion, "Wouldn't it be best if we all went?"

Renji, seeming to understand why Toshiro had decided on this, shook his head. "No. I think the asshole wants to make sure that not too much changes. I think he just wants to watch and if we all went, we'd draw too much attention to ourselves."

Toshiro, who could not hold back the comment asked a little rudely, "Since when did you become smart, moron?"

Ami sighed, knowing full-well that this would more than likely end up in _another _verbal fight, "You two… I swear to kami that I'll kick both your asses if you don't hurry up and come up with a plan."

"I have to agree with Toshiro." Juugo's quiet voice murmured. Everyone's eyes snapped onto him, "It would be best not to change the future any more than it already has. I'm sure it has changed significantly now. At least with one person, he'll be able to pay attention to what is happening. Also, he has the Sharingan so he is able to use it if the time comes."

Ami let out a huff before nodding her head, "Alright. But do you know where to go?"

"Hn… I have an idea of where it is." Toshiro breathed.

"And how do you know?" the red-haired medic asked.

Toshiro's impatient eyes snapped onto her, "I don't have time to explain myself to you."

"Why not?" Ami asked through clenched teeth.

Renji and Juugo looked down, both feeling that they were intruding on something. The Uzumaki had noticed that both the Uchiha and Ami were getting into quite a few fights over the last few days. And it was over petty things that would often not annoy them, but for whatever reason it is… it has. Juugo, on the other hand, did not really know what exactly was going on, but he could tell that it was not normal, from Renji's reaction to it all.

"Fine. Okaa-san showed me it. Happy?" Toshiro bit out, voice harsh and cold.

Ami turned her head, "You could have said that straight away…"

Toshiro turned his back, "Tch. I'm leaving. Keep yourselves safe, got it?" And with that, he disappeared in his classic black smoke.

The red-haired kunoichi turned to Renji, "Why were you quiet? And why did you agree with him?"

"I think he has something planned. You know how he is… he won't tell anything unless he thinks we _need _to know…" Renji groaned, "Plus, you've been digging into him lately. I think he needs some time on his own, after all."

"… He did say that he wanted to stop the _edo-tensei _himself." Juugo mumbled, a little cautiously.

Ami blinked, "Damn bastard…" she snarled but then thought against wanting to go after him, "Let's just go. He'll want us to go and help Naruto and the others."

"Do you think he'll end up showin' up to the battlefield with his otou-san?" Renji asked.

Juugo watched for a moment, "Haven't you said that you won't know until it happens?"

"Yeah… but it'd be fun to have a bet."

A sigh was then heard from the kunoichi's direction.

* * *

Sakura groaned and rested her fingers against the cool porcelain of the toilet. "I thought these symptoms were meant to end soon…" she mumbled quietly as she wiped away excess bile. The rosette had not been able to eat without throwing it back up. This made Sakura extremely moody – and she _already _moody to begin with. She even cried earlier for _no apparent reason_. '_This pregnancy is taking its toll on me…_' Sakura thought with a sigh. She was in the third month of her pregnancy; the tenth week to be exact. She measured the baby's approximate size on her fingers, "At ten weeks… he or she should be about…" she then smiled to herself, "… about an inch long… And you'd be about… a quarter of an ounce in weight…"

She moved herself away from the toilet and flushed it before standing up. "I wonder if you're a girl or a boy…" She then thought about the war that was happening. Right at this moment. "I wish we could go out there and fight with our friends and family, baby…" she sighed to herself. The rosette was worried about the outcome of the war. Sure, she believed in the Alliance… but their enemy was someone who was largely powerful. There were only a few shinobi in the village; ten jonin, five chuunin. But all of the genin (other than Naruto) were here. They were not allowed to fight. Understandable though.

It was early in the afternoon and everything was tense. People who came into the village were checked out to make sure that they were not an enemy of any sort. The rosette then stretched. "Maybe I should go and see Karin and Suigetsu." The medical-nin had been visiting the two rogue shinobi in their cell. They did not seem to mind it. The pinkette then smirked – it was obvious that they were together now. So obvious in fact. She gently massaged her belly and stiffened, she was… rather sore in the chest area lately. Another sign of her pregnancy, she supposed. The rosette was able to walk around without being thought to be pregnant since she wore loose clothing. She was kind of showing, but not to the point where it would be extremely noticeable if she went and wore normal clothes. She just… felt yuck if she wore normal clothes.

Sakura then headed out to go and see Suigetsu and Karin.

* * *

When Sakura arrived at the prison, she was instantly inspected by a shinobi who looked to be of chuunin class. His beady eyes were on her and then he seemed to notice, "You know you're expecting, yes?"

"Uh…" Sakura did not know what to say; she had not expected this. Not at all.

The man's eyes narrowed, "You're the chick that was said to be hung up over… uh… Uchiha Sasuke, wasn't it?" Sakura wanted to throw a punch at this guy. He then grinned cockily, "You're rather attractive… I'm presuming you did what all kunoichi your age did, ne? Having sex with some random stranger? Honestly, I thought you would have saved yourself for that traitor… but whatever floats your boat."

The medical-nin bit her lip, "I want to go in _without _being harassed, asshole."

"_Without_?" the man then laughed. "What a _joke_!"

A kick to the head later, and the man's body was on the floor. Sakura looked around and then saw Suigetsu and Karin. The white-haired man scratched his head, not too sure of what to say. "Uh… see, we were going to tell you but-…"

"You're seriously doing a jail-break…?" Sakura said with a look of… well, there was no emotion.

The shark-man shrugged, "Come on! There's a war going on and Karin-chan and I wanted to get out of here!"

"… Thanks." Sakura mumbled, shooting a dirty look to the passed out guy.

White eyebrow rose in confusion, "Huh?"

Karin, already understanding, knelt down beside the man and used her medical chakra to make him forget what had occurred. "He found out about Sakura's pregnancy… but I don't get how he did."

"Might have been a sensory type?" Suigetsu suggested.

The rosette nodded, "I thought they took all of the sensories with them."

"Obviously not, Sakura-chan." The shark-toothed man muttered. "What did he say, anyways?"

The pinkette turned her head, "I'm sure that what he was saying had something to do with the fact that he thought I was a whore. For some reason, he knew about me."

"As in whose kid you're carrying?" Suigetsu asked a little stupidly.

Sakura shook her head, "Iie, I don't think that's it. I think he just… heard of my feelings towards Sasuke-kun."

"Oh." Karin mumbled, "I don't… I'm sorry."

The rosette smiled a very, very fake smile, "Don't worry about it. It's not your problem, after all."

"What are you going to do, Sakura-chan?" Suigetsu asked as he decided to kick the guard's body.

Sakura watched the rogue-shinobi with confusion, "What do you mean?"

Karin decided to answer for him, "You can come with us, if you want?"

"But I'm-…" Sakura was cut off

"Yeah, you may be preggers… but I think you and the brat can handle it." Suigetsu said, pointing at her stomach.

Sakura then thought about it for a moment before nodding, "I want to go and help out with the medics… especially since Tsunade-shishou went and changed her mind the way she did."

"Hm… well, let's get your things first and then we'll leave!" Karin exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the red-head's behaviour; honestly, Sakura did not mind Karin. She was rather nice when one got to know her and it was _especially _funny when a female guard was checking out Suigetsu. Now _that _was a fun day. Karin also told Sakura about some of the skills that she had, and honestly, Sakura would have learned how to do some of these skills. "Yeah." Sakura agreed and allowed the two rogue-nins to go ahead while the rosette went to her own house.

* * *

About forty minutes later, Sakura regrouped with the rogue-nins at the front gate. They were both using a henge to hide their real appearances. Genma, one of the people manning the gate, nodded at Sakura, silently asking what it was that she wanted. The rosette quickly thought of something, "These two are with me and I'm showing them some herbs which are a little way out of the village."

"We're in the middle of a war, Sakura. Would now _really _be the best time to leave? Also, Tsunade-sama said that you're not allowed to leave the village. No matter what." The man said and nibbled on the toothpick he held in his mouth.

Suigetsu stepped forwards, "We're only going a little way, I mean-…"

"Like I said; there's a _war_. Meaning this place is on total lockdown. Nobody's allowed in; nobody's allowed out." The brown-haired-nin said with a scowl.

Karin sighed, "… That's it." She growled and did a few hand signs before Genma slumped, his eyes becoming glassy.

"What was-…" Suigetsu was about to question it.

Sakura then answered, "Genjutsu. Let's go then."

Karin nodded her head, "Yeah."

Suigetsu undid the henge and stretched his arms as Karin did the same, minus stretching his arms. "Alright, let's get going then. Where we going, anyways?"

"Uh…" Karin scratched her head and then sighed, "… maybe to the battlefield?"

Sakura nodded but then scowled, "I'd like to go to one of the medics' camps if we can find one. I want to make sure that they're doing what they should be doing with the injured."

The red-haired missing-nin rose a brow before agreeing with a single nod of her head, "Mm… I'd like to have a look as well. Would it be best to let Suigetsu go straight to the battlefield?"

"Yup! Do you think I'm gonna stand around-…"

"That's what we're doing now…" Sakura said in a quiet tone.

"Eh… but-…"

"Let's just go Sui."

"Hn. Alright. Come on Karin-chan, Sakura-chan."

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Notes; **Thanks to all of the wonderful reviews that I have received throughout this fic, it means a lot. Okay then, just so ya'll know, I have been absolutely _hammered _with assignments. So, I might be unable to update Friday. And I know I say that I have assignments all of the time, well... I have three tomorrow and some on Friday too. All of my assessment pretty much ends next Tuesday. Heh... Sorry.

**Edit; **I have noted that a few people are annoyed with the fact that Sasuke had slept with other women. Now, the reason why I did this is because humans have needs. ... Even an emotionless Uchiha. See, I would not think he would have been a virgin. If he had of stayed in the Hidden Leaf, then yes, I would have made him a virgin - plain and simple. ... But he didn't. He left the village in this story and went with Orochimaru. Orochimaru would have (at least, this is what I would think) provided women to fulfil Sasuke's needs. To make you guys happy, he was rather rough and animalistic - he also did not allow these women to finish and only sated his own needs while he was with them - later kicking them out of his room and telling them (in a not so nice manner) to fuck off. With Sakura, he actually _wanted _her to finish. And also, Sasuke was gentle with Sakura, not wanting to hurt her. Another thing I added. I could have just made him a pure animal - which he more than likely would be if he had sex with Sakura before - with her, but I didn't.

Now, you may also notice that this is _very _lemony (compared to what I said I would do). Yeah, I couldn't help myself. I think it adds emotion to the story, so I hope it's fine. There'll more than likely be a few scenes and sex like this, 'cos I find makes the story deeper and more... emotional, per se.


	6. Reunion and Secrets Told

**Part 4 **

_Sasuke glanced to his side and watched the rosette who was sleeping peacefully; her eyes were tightly shut, and her mouth was a gape. The Uchiha sighed and sat up before stretching. He moved his head down and kissed the rosette, allowing himself one more moment with her. He then looked for his pants. When he found them, he put them on and glanced down at his haori. He found no point in waking up Sakura to get it back, instead, he placed her under a genjutsu to make sure she would not wake up. He wrapped her body in the white material and searched for her clothes before folding them and placing them beside where she was sleeping. _

_He did a few hand signs and summoned a snake. "Tell her that I'm sorry, Aoda. And tell her… that I thank her for everything." Sasuke ordered softly as he watched the small purple reptile nod his head._

_"Hai," Aoda began, "Sasuke-sama."_

_Glancing one more time in Sakura's direction, he headed off to wherever it was that he was headed towards before meeting up with Sakura._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . __  
_

_The sunlight was the thing that woke up Sakura. She stiffened when she felt something wrapped around her, she peeked open her eyes and looked down to see Sasuke's long, white haori which was now dirty from being on the ground. Tears quickly gathered in her eyes; she wiped at her eyes furiously, but it was no use… she began crying. He left. Without saying anything. The rosette coughed and looked around before abruptly gasping when she saw a snake. Carefully, she untangled herself from the white material and tried to move away, but the creature saw her first. "… Sasuke-sama has a message for you." The purple reptile muttered and then watched the rose-haired medic with golden eyes._

_"… He did…? What's the message?" Sakura asked, a little hesitant._

_The snake slipped out its tongue and hissed a little, "The message was that he was sorry. He also said that he thanks you for everything."_

_". . ." Sakura nodded, but stayed silent. Her heart was hurting…_

_The purple creature nodded its head before disappearing without saying anything else. The rosette fully unwrapped herself and looked around for her clothes which were luckily placed right next to her. She stood up, but gasped when she felt pain in between her legs. "Shit…" she cursed and let out a groan. She moved her hands down to her legs and began healing the tenderness, soon she found herself able to stand without a shit load of pain. Slipping on her clothes at a slow pace, she looked to the direction where she needed to go. "A shinobi mustn't show their feelings…" She bit her lip, knowing full well that she had already failed that. But this time, she was meaning that she could not sit around and cry all day. She had a mission to do. That was much more important than Sakura's feelings at this very time, even though the mission itself was not important. _

_With one more look to Sasuke's haori, she headed off towards her own direction, to finish off her task._

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 6 – Reunion and Secrets Told**

* * *

The forest was quiet as one lone shinobi tree-hopped through it, his steps as silent as a mouse. His crimson cloak flowed behind him, barely dodging being caught onto trees and branches. His crimson eyes were trained on the path ahead of him. '_I'm nearly there…_' the man thought to himself as he glanced to the sides, making sure that no other undead shinobi were around. He was sure that Kabuto was already searching for him. In fact, he was positive of this fact. '_Tch… I can't believe Sasuke has caused as much trouble as he has._'

"Hey! Itachi!" a voice called from behind the undead Uchiha.

Itachi growled lowly to himself, annoyed that he had not picked up on another chakra signature. The elder Uchiha could already tell that it was his younger sibling behind him. Itachi decided to ignore Sasuke. That was best at this very moment. He could feel the raven's chakra flare up from behind him, probably from anger.

"Dammit, Itachi! Is that you!?" his voice hoarsely yelled.

Itachi could tell that his brother wanted answers. Dark chakra flared up, not from Itachi. The long-haired man allowed himself to glance at the purple claw headed directly his way. Swiftly, he activated his own chakra deity. The orange, robotic looking arm pushed away at the dark purple chakra.

"You are Itachi." Sasuke's voice said in confirmation.

Itachi nodded, but Sasuke did not see. "You have unlocked the _Susano'o_, I see." The elder brother watched his younger sibling from the corner of his blood-red eye. The kekkei genkai shined lightly in the darkness enveloped by the forest.

"You told me to see you when I have _your eyes_, Itachi!" Sasuke screamed in angst. "Why the hell won't you talk to me now?!" Sasuke's voice softened, "You deserve to allow me that much… Itachi…"

The elder Uchiha sighed, "There are more important things than you and I at this very moment, Sasuke. I have to stop-…"

"_I don't care_!" Sasuke snarled a little selfishly, his new Mangekyou's pattern began to spin wildly.

Itachi wanted to go back to his brother and talked to him. Honest. But like he said, this was definitely not the time for that. The war was more important at this point of time. "I do, Sasuke. I won't allow _my village _to be torn apart from an Uchiha's war."

"The hell?" Sasuke asked, his tone snappy.

The elder Uchiha brother glanced at his younger (and only) sibling, "This war was started by an Uchiha. A lot of things have happened in the shinobi world because of one or two Uchiha."

"_So_? What does _that _have to do with _me_?" the younger Uchiha barked.

"It has to do with you because you're also able to do the same things as Madara has done to the shinobi world." Itachi explained.

"I'm not as much as an idiot as that masked freak. Don't compare me to him." Sasuke snapped.

Itachi sighed before taking a deep breath, "I will talk to you, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened, "Now?"

The living-undead shook his head, "No. Now would not be the best time."

The Eternal Mangekyou-user let out a growl, "Why the hell not!?"

Itachi smirked lightly, "Because I said so."

Sasuke stiffened and stopped on a branch before looking around. Itachi stopped a few meters in front of him, a little confused by his sibling's behaviour. The avenger looked around before letting out a growl, "Who's there?"

A man in a cloak appeared and landed in front of the two Uchiha brothers, "You're Itachi, huh?"

"Who are you?" Itachi repeated his brother's question.

The man wearing the dark cloak tilted his head, "Toshiro."

Sasuke scowled, "You're the one who was at the bridge."

Toshiro nodded his head, "Hai."

Itachi glanced at Sasuke before looking back at the one called 'Toshiro', "Why are you here? Why aren't you fighting with the alliance?"

"My teammates are. I'm not." Toshiro answered.

Sasuke growled out, "Why the hell are you here?"

"To stop the _edo-tensei_. Got a problem with that?" Toshiro asked, his voice cool and calm.

This infurietated Itachi's younger brother. A lot. "You can't just come here saying you-…!"

Itachi held his hand in front of Sasuke, "Don't." he then looked to the one wearing the hood, "Will you help?"

"… Yes." Toshiro answered, slight hesitancy there, as if he had felt something that Sasuke and Itachi had not.

The elder Uchiha brother glanced at Sasuke, "Enough of this talk. We have to leave now, Sasuke."

"Why are you-…" Sasuke was once more interrupted.

"It seems that he has some sort of… connection to the both of us. Namely, you." Itachi said.

Toshiro stiffened, "What do you mean?"

"You think I wouldn't know? I have seen someone come here using _that jutsu_." The elder Uchiha brother said, "Your chakra is already different as it is, plus this… slight anomaly in it."

Sasuke shook his head, "Let's just go, Itachi."

"You'll help?" Toshiro asked.

The younger Uchiha headed off, with Itachi quickly taking the lead. Toshiro followed behind them.

* * *

"Gah!" Suigetsu roared and glared at everything that he saw (other than Sakura and Karin, of course). "Where the _hell _are we?"

Karin dropped her head before sweat-dropping, "Sorry… I can't sense any more chakra at the moment, it's as if something is blocking my abilities."

"It's fine." The pregnant rosette said before allowing a frown to pop up on her face, "But I have to say, why is it that you can't use your ability?"

Karin frowned, "It's… always moving." She noticed the confused looks on both the shark's and the rosette's face, "Oh, well… I'm meaning that the direction of the chakra is swirling around."

"But you said that it's blocked?" Suigetsu mumbled, clearly not convinced.

"I did. But what I meant by that was the fact that-…!"

"What in the hell…?" Sakura whispered as she (and Karin) looked around, a little confused.

Suigetsu had no idea what was going on, "What's up?"

"… I can feel Sasuke-kun and Toshiro…" Sakura whispered, a little cautiously.

"Should we… meet up with them?" Karin asked softly.

Sakura looked down and then touched her stomach before rubbing the small bump gently, "I'm… afraid."

Suigetsu frowned, "I wanna see if Sasuke's in his mind again, but if you're-…"

"He needs to know." Sakura said and bit down on her lower lip with pearly white teeth.

The red-haired woman glanced to the side, "Is this really the best choice?"

Sakura nodded, "… I guess. I mean, Toshiro's there too."

"Yeah… I guess…" Suigetsu grumbled, speaking what it was that Karin had wanted to state. He then looked to the crimson-haired woman, "Can you pin-point his-…"

"What are you doing here?" a tone from the bushes asked. The shrubs parted and there was the cloak-wearing Toshiro. Sakura sighed in relief and moved towards him, slowly. He watched the rose-haired woman, but did not do anything. "Shouldn't you be in Konoha?"

Sakura looked down, "… Yeah…"

"Why aren't you?" Toshiro asked, tone light.

The rosette shrugged, "I wasn't going to-…"

"You're Sakura, ne?" an unknown voice said.

Sakura stiffened. She then looked around and then saw the eyes of someone who she thought was dead. Uchiha Itachi. "Itachi…" she whispered, a little afraid. Beside Itachi was his younger sibling. Sakura swallowed, "S-Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke frowned, "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here?" Sakura asked, meekly.

The long-haired Uchiha glanced around at the group that had now gathered, "What are all of your goals?"

"Eh?" Suigetsu asked and then glared at Sasuke, "I wanna kill that bastard."

Karin was about to say something, but was cut off by Sakura, "What's the point in trying the kill Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?" Sasuke grunted.

Suigetsu watched Sasuke, unflinching, "He tried to kill Karin-chan, Sakura-chan. And he tried to kill _you _as well… I know that you… have _that_, but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't be killed."

"What do you mean by Sakura having 'that'?" Sasuke asked, completely ignoring the rest of Suigetsu's statement.

Itachi watched Sakura's facial expression change for a moment before becoming blank. "It's nothing, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." Itachi grunted and then took a deep breath, "What is your goal, Sakura?"

The rosette stiffened when her child's nephew spoke, "… I want to help out people…"

"And you can in your state?"

Once more, Sakura froze. "You-…"

"Hn. I do." Itachi nodded his head.

"Who?"

"Naruto."

Sakura nodded and then allowed her eyes to drop, "… I see."

Suigetsu sighed, getting sick of all of this and flailed his arms into the air. "Y'know, we _do _actually have to do something!"

"Uh… yeah…" Sakura nodded and then looked to Itachi, carefully ignoring Sasuke's face, "Are we fine to leave… or are you going to stop us?"

Sasuke stepped forwards, "Tch… you're staying, Sakura."

The rosette let out a gasp, "_Why_?"

Toshiro sighed and then looked to Karin and Suigetsu, "I'll make sure nothing happens to her." The hooded-man pointed to the north, "The battlefield is down there. Go."

Karin and Suigetsu nodded their heads weakly. "… Hai." And they both headed off in the direction that Toshiro had pointed to them.

The hooded-man glanced at Sakura and then to Sasuke, "I'll watch her. You two go ahead."

"But you-…" Sakura was once more interrupted.

"Hn." Grunts from both of the Uchihas before they headed off once more.

The rosette glared over at the hooded man, "Why did you allow them to-…"

"They won't do anything."

"They might though-…"

"Itachi knows."

"But Sasuke-kun doesn-…"

"He isn't as much as a monster as you seem to think he is. I highly doubt that he will try to harm you at this point of time."

"But-…"

"Are we going?"

"Where?"

"Kabuto."

"But… what…?"

"He is alive. That's where Itachi and Sasuke are headed."

Sakura nodded her head and then looked around nervously, "Will… they notice? As in Sasuke?"

"Your pregnancy? I highly doubt it. He isn't looking for those signs. But anyone with the Byakugan or the Sharingan who actually knew what they're looking for would know." Toshiro explained.

The rosette looked at him skeptically, "Why do you know that?"

"I know… dojutsu as well." He answered simply and then looked in the direction where the other two had headed, "I'm sure they're not moving fast."

Sakura nodded once more and then followed Toshiro into the direction of the two Uchiha siblings.

* * *

[_Meanwhile_]

"O… Obito…" Kakashi said, his eyes widening. '_That can't be-!_'

The Uchiha smirked arrogantly and looked to the _real _Madara by his side. He tossed the elder Uchiha the weapon that he had been using for the last few hours. "That's yours."

"… Why?" Kakashi questioned in a pained tone, his voice haggard from the tremendous pain he felt. Not physical pain, however.

Naruto watched his sensei's expression, "But… I thought Obito died."

"He… did. At least, that's what I thought…" the silver-haired jonin said. "Obito… why…? Why would you-…"

"You killed her." Obito answered, "You let Rin die. By your own hands."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You…?"

The spandex-loving Gai's face was grim. "I didn't think-…"

"You saw the mission reports yourself, Gai." Kakashi muttered and then looked down, "Is this why, Obito? Is this why? You loved her… and you want to bring her back?"

The scarred Uchiha standing on top of the rock scowled, "That isn't it."

"Then _what _is it?" the silver-haired jonin asked.

"I want there to be peace."

* * *

[_Later (by like twenty minutes)]_

"How the hell did that guy trap us in a genjutsu? I didn't even _notice _it." Suigetsu growled and shook his head, "I thought he _wasn't _an enemy."

"I think he did that for a reason, Sui." Karin sighed quietly as she watched the white-haired nin by her side.

The sword-user shook his head, "Yeah. Whatever. Let's just go to the battlefield, I'm sure they'd like some help down there."

"Mm." Karin agreed and the two rogue-nins picked up their pace.

* * *

[_Meanwhile_]

Toshiro glanced at the younger version of his mother and scowled. He did _not _like this. She was meant to stay inside of the village when the war happened. So why was she here? Could it have something to do with Toshiro? The Uchiha did not know. Both he and Sakura caught up to both Sasuke and Itachi; the other two Uchihas were dead silent.

The hooded Toshiro glanced to the rosette who was doing her best to keep up with the speedy Uchihas, "Are you fine?" the hooded Uchiha asked in a quiet tone.

Sakura nodded her head, "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just… hard." She whispered back.

"You _really _shouldn't be here, Sakura." Toshiro stated.

The two then heard a grunt from Sasuke's direction before he said, "Why are you here, Sakura?"

"I… wanted to help with the war." Well, that was true.

The hooded Uchiha watched his father's back, making sure that he would not turn on both his mother and himself. Sasuke then responded with, "That's a stupid reason to be all the way out here. The war – like Toshiro said – is all the way to the north. We're going to the south."

Itachi sighed, "Don't worry about it, Sasuke."

"I'm _not _worried." Sasuke snarled back.

Toshiro sighed and watched Sakura who looked like she had been stabbed. "Don't mind him, Sakura."

"Why do you even care what happens to Sakura? What is she to you?" Sasuke asked.

Now, Toshiro had been asked that question before from Sasuke. He was _sure _of it. "She's just… I can't really explain."

"Are you… in love with her?" Sasuke asked, tone cold and sharp.

Sakura stiffened as she dodged a branch while Toshiro coughed. "That… isn't it."

"Then why?" the last (known) living Uchiha said.

"'Cause I can." Toshiro answered back.

Itachi then interrupted their conversation, "Enough. We're nearly there."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked, meekly.

Sasuke was waiting for his older brother to get angry. But that did not happen. "Since I am undead and was once under Kabuto's control, I can pinpoint his location since I am under his jutsu."

Toshiro nodded his head, but did not mumble anything back while Sasuke stayed dead silent. He could not believe that Itachi did not get extremely angry at the pinkette. That was… odd. It was obvious that Itachi knew something about Sakura that Sasuke did not know, and the raven-haired Uchiha _will _find out what it is. No matter what.

"We're here." Itachi said after a moment of silence. He glanced over at the others who were barely paying attention to him. He sighed and spoke a little louder. "We're here."

Sakura noticed and nodded her head, "Okay."

Toshiro ducked his head, telling the others that he was listening while Sasuke let out a grunt. Itachi allowed the _Susano'o _to surround him, the orange chakra then formed a fist before it collided with the wall, causing it to be destroyed under the power of the Uchiha's most powerful weapon.

A giggle was heard throughout the room, "So… you decided to come here, huh? And you even brought Sasuke-kun… my, my… what a fun circumstance…"

* * *

[_Meanwhile_]

"Who the hell are you?" a Leaf-nin asked, his eyes narrowing as the Byakugan made itself shown.

Renji scowled; how dare they!? "Shut the hell up, we're actually here to help, y'know!?"

Ami wanted to hit the Uzumaki in the back of the head, but thought against it. "I'm a medical-nin. I can help with the injured."

"What village to you belong to?" a new voice said. A man with long, brown hair who was also a Hyuuga came. His sharp eyes were on the two newcomers.

Renji scratched the back of his head, "Eh… I _was _from the Hidden Leaf, and I kinda am now… but-…"

"We're from the Hidden Leaf. We're _not _your enemy." Ami interrupted.

The Hyuuga scowled before looking to the side, "If you two are truly here to help… then help. But if you betray us, I _will _make sure that you both suffer the fate of death." And with that, he went back to wherever it was that he came from. The other Leaf-nin followed after him.

The black-haired Uzumaki frowned, "Who was he?"

Ami shrugged her shoulders, "Dunno."

"So you're here?"

Ami and Renji turned around and saw the older version of Sasuke Uchiha watching the both of them. Renji opened his mouth to say something, but Ami beat him to it, "Yeah! What is it?"

"Just making sure everything is fine…" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes calm and guarded.

"What is it?" Renji asked.

The Uchiha monarch scowled, "What are you talking about?"

"Something is troubling you. It's easy to see." Ami answered for her teammate.

The raven-haired man turned his head before breathing out, "There's just something I'm worried about."

"What is it?" Renji asked.

"It seems… that Sakura is – at the moment – with my younger self and he is yet to know of the fact that she's carrying my child. I'm nearly certain that her life is in danger at the moment since Kabuto _will _more than likely notice her pregnancy." Sasuke answered.

Ami then looked around, noticing that nobody was paying attention to them. "Why isn't anyone paying attention to us?"

"There's a genjutsu on them."

"Aa… I see." Ami nodded her head and then sighed, "Do we still have to hide our true selves? It will be hard to fight without any of my normal moves; I mean, half of the stuff I know is either from my mother or my father."

Renji agreed instantly, "I learned everything I know off of Okaa-san and Otou-san and Toshiro knows a whole lot of your abilities as well as Sakura's."

"I know. But try to keep it to yourselves as long as you can." Sasuke muttered before disappearing once more.

* * *

Kabuto hissed at the four shinobi that had barged in, "Well, Sasuke-kun?" he licked his lips, "Wouldn't it be best to join my side so we can _both _defeat your brother? Wouldn't you like to kill him again?"

Sasuke stepped forwards with hatred in each step he took, "You… don't know anything, now do you?"

Toshiro was enraged himself and did his best to hold himself back from attacking the snake. "It wouldn't…" he clenched his teeth, "… be best to piss of Sasuke."

"Heh? And you are?" Kabuto looked at the others and then smirked when his gaze fell on Sakura, "Lovely to meet you once more, Sakura-chan. You seem…" he licked his lips, noticing something, "… to be glowing. You also look to have gained a bit of weight."

Now, that pissed off Sakura big time. "Shut the hell up, Kabuto!"

Sasuke glanced at Sakura and silently noted that this was indeed true. She looked like her curves had become more prominent and her hips had widened, as well as her breasts seemed to have grown a little. Oh, how he wanted to touch her and fuck – no, now was _not _the time for that. He tore his eyes away from her and watched Kabuto.

Toshiro stepped forwards and Itachi did the same so that they were flanking Sasuke, but Sakura stayed behind and watched the three male shinobi glare at each-other with anger and darkened feelings. The elder Uchiha brother then stated, "It's rude to comment on a woman's weight."

"What would you know?" Kabuto shot right back, "I've seen Sakura-chan _a lot _more times than you have, Itachi."

Sasuke wanted to kill this guy. Right now. Painfully too. "Even I think Itachi's right."

Toshiro shook his head and then watched Kabuto, allowing his kekkei genkai to activate. He would need it for this fight. He did _not _care if they found out who he was. He really did not. "Let's get this over and done with, Sasuke, Itachi."

"Hn." Both of the other Uchihas grunted as they both charged at Kabuto, ready to fight.

Toshiro held back and analysed the fight. That was the best thing to do before he even _thought _of interfering. His eyes narrowed as he caught the snake bastard try to take out Sasuke with one hit, but that failed. Sakura came up beside the hooded Toshiro and watched the fight by his side, she was slightly behind him, at least… her stomach was.

Kabuto glanced once more at Sakura as he dodged a hit before nodding to himself and swooping back. He watched the two Uchihas who were shocked with the action as they moved back to where Toshiro stood. Sasuke glanced at Sakura before glaring back over at the white-skinned Kabuto. "Hm… interesting. Her weight gain now makes more sense."

"Hn?" Sasuke grunted, a little bewildered by that.

Sakura watched Kabuto, "You…"

"Did you honestly think a fellow medic would _not _notice that?" Kabuto asked, "Kunoichi have less chance of gaining weight since all of the missions that they partake. Really, that leaves only one thing… unless you were no longer a kunoichi, then I would understand that there was the chance that you had of gained weight. Also, your chakra has changed since last time. _Years _worth of training would only allow one to be able to change the 'feel' of their charka. While, I saw you a couple of months ago. Around… five wasn't it?"

"Don't…" Sakura whispered, silently begging with the man that was no longer counted as human.

Kabuto's smile grew, "Oh, but why not?"

"Onegai…" Sakura begged softly.

The white-haired snake placed his fingers against his chin thoughtfully, but that was merely to mock her. "I think I've found out the reason why you don't want to share this… It has something to do with Sasuke-kun. Doesn't it, Sakura-chan? You're afraid of what he'll think – or do – that's why you're hiding it…"

"What?" Sasuke snarled, "What is it that she's hiding then?"

"No…" Sakura whispered out.

Toshiro then spoke up, "Instead of telling him yourself, Kabuto… allow them to discuss it." the hooded man charged at Kabuto as he put his hands into his coat and pulled out a katana before slamming it against the snake's body, causing a wound. Kabuto's eyes widened before he smirked a fanged smile. He pushed Toshiro away and snatched the katana from him before flinging it away.

"What's the point? I want to see Sasuke-kun's face when I kill her… along with _it_." Kabuto reasoned and then glanced at the katana, "Nice sword, by the way."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched the snake, "You're…" he choked out, "You're saying that she's-…"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Sasuke-kun… she's _pregnant_. And from the feeling of her chakra, it's _yours_."

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Notes; **Yeah, it's short. Sorry. Anyways, just so ya'll know, me updating on Wednesday depends on the reviews. Just tell me whether or not I'm doing fine. And before you guys say I'm holding this story under hostage... I'm _not_. I did say that I would update Fridays _always_. So yeah.  
I've got two more weeks of school and I've been busy... so I'm focusing more on that for a bit, if the story is not updated... it's because it's too close to the amount of chapter I have done. And I have two more chapters I could post, so I'm going to try and work on that this weekend but I'm addicted to a Pokemon hack... so do you understand my predicament? Lol. Need some video games *drools*


	7. Reveal

_"What a little bastard." One of the town's folk mumbled as they talked to their consumer, "It seems that the Hokage wants us to be nice to the Uchiha's Bastard."_

_The consumer stifled a laugh, "I find it amusing that they're protecting a traitor's kid."_

_The one who was being talked about glared over in their direction, "Urusai." The raven-haired thirteen year old snapped. The two who were gossiping stopped and returned to their business._

_The redette by the Uchiha's side laughed, "You're so mean, Toshiro-kun."_

_The Hokage's son smirked as well, "One day, these guys are gonna copy your glare and then you're gonna be scared."_

_Toshiro glared over at his two teammates who instantly quietened down, "… They need to stop that."_

_"… No offence, but you're not the only one getting the same treatment, asshole. Ami's being teased as well 'cause she's a traitor's kid as well." Renji said as if he knew everything._

_Toshiro hit him across the head, "I know that. Shut up."_

_Ami looked down at the ground below her, "… Gomen."_

_The Uchiha heir glanced in her direction, "Doushite?"_

_The red-haired Uzumaki smiled sadly, "It's just that… I might be hated in the village, but nobody actually excludes me from anything…"_

_Toshiro ran his fingers through his raven hair, "Look," he began and watched both Renji and the kunoichi, "I'd rather _me _being the one who is treated like this. It's better this way." And with that, he headed off to do his own thing. Ami and Renji stopped before looking at each-other._

_The black-haired Uzumaki frowned, "… I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that he's-"_

_"The reason he is like that is because…" Ami glanced at Toshiro's retreating form and kept her eyes on the Uchiha's symbol on his back, "… He has to. He's the heir of the Uchiha clan, whether or not he likes it. None of the villagers understand that it _wasn't _him who betrayed us; it was Uchiha Sasuke."_

_The Byakugan-user closed his eyes, "… I know that. But might that be the thing to turn him against everyone, Ami? Could he possibly do the same thing that his father did?"_

_"Leave the village?" Ami murmured._

_The Hokage's son nodded his head, "Hai."_

_The redette shook her head, but her heart told her different. She did not show this, however. "I don't… think he'd get to that point. He doesn't want people to think he's like his father."_

_"But in a way, he does. He wants to be as strong as his father." Renji said and pursed his lips._

_Ami's purple eyes glistened with unshed tears, "… That's horrible."_

_"It's his choice, Ami. He is this way 'cause of the burden on his shoulders."_

_"But you're the heir of the Hyuuga clan, don't you understand him?"_

_"… No. I'm not an outcast. The one who would understand him most would be…" Renji paused, "… you. Your father left ages ago as well."_

_"But… I'm not from a clan who has so much pride…"_

_"The Uchiha clan has no pride no more. People don't respect it and even tremble when it is mentioned."_

_"That's not true!"_

_"It's either that… or they're bad-mouthed. The curse of hatred within the clan has caused this."_

_Ami wanted to say that was not it, but she had nothing. Absolutely nothing to make it sound like that is the case. "Do you… think that Toshiro could lose it one day?"_

_Renji hesitated, but closed his eyes sorrowfully, "He could… He's an Uchiha, that curse would be running through him as well."_

_The redette pursed her lips, "If Sakura had never said anything about him being an Uchiha, would the outcome have been different?"_

_The Hokage's son shook his head straight away, "Look at him! He barely looks like Sakura – unless the eyes are counted!"_

_"But that doesn't mean-"_

_"The villagers would have said something about it, even though Otou-san could have banned them from saying anything."_

_Ami looked down and crushed her fists together, "I'm worried…"_

_Renji nodded, "Yeah. Me too. I don't want to lose him. Everyone… has lost so much because of Sasuke."_

_"What are you two talking about?" a feminine voice said._

_Ami and Renji looked to where the sound came from; there stood Haruno Sakura, her hair was long and wavy reaching up to her hips. Her eyes were full of light. Ami hesitated, but lied straight away. "Oh, nothing…"_

_Sakura's expression became one of anger, "Why are you talking of Sasuke-kun?"_

_Renji stepped forwards towards the rosette, "Look, we're just talking about-"_

_"Toshiro?" Sakura interrupted._

_Ami looked a little guilty, but then smiled sadly, "We're just… worried about him…"_

_Sakura's facial expression changed again; her shoulders slumped and she suddenly looked tired, "… Me too. Something's up with him." She then looked to Ami, something crossing her mind. Her thoughts towards the girl then softened; Ami was a lot like Sakura was when she was younger. But that could… also be a bad thing if Toshiro indeed betrays the village… Ami could be put in the same situation that Sakura was in with Sasuke._

_"I want to know…" Ami began, "Do you still love _him_?"_

_Sakura's eyes widened considerably before her mask slipped back into place, "What do you mean?"_

_"Uchiha Sasuke…" Ami whispered, now cautious, "… do you still hold feelings for him?"_

_Renji now felt as if he was intruding on their discussion and looked around for an escape route, "Well… I'll be going!" he yelled and ran off as fast as he possibly could._

_The rosette closed her eyes and then beckoned for Ami to come near her. Ami did as she was asked, only to have her long, red hair ruffled by the medic. "… I think this would be something more suitable for your mother…"_

_"What…?" Ami whispered as she watched the rosette._

_The medic had a look of sorrow on her face, "That… is a question I don't feel like addressing, but I think Karin-chan would understand where I come from."_

_"What do you mean by that?" _

_"Ask your mother about Suigetsu; see what her reaction is."_

_Ami stepped back with wide eyes, "O-Otou-san?"_

_"Hai… Promise that you'll ask?" Sakura held out her pinkie._

_The redette nodded and shook her own pinkie with Sakura, "I promise."_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
Chapter 7 - Reveal**

* * *

Sasuke's eyes were as wide as they could be, his breathing had completely stopped and he was watching the rosette with a gaping mouth. Completely out of character for the usually cold Uchiha. "Why…? Why didn't you say-…"

". . ." Sakura stayed silent for a moment before whispering, "I _couldn't_. I was scared."

Toshiro watched the rosette and his father for a moment and then looked back at Kabuto, "Now isn't the time."

Itachi nodded his head in agreement, "Aa. Kabuto is our main priority."

Sasuke shook his head, "Iie. That's _your _priority."

The elder Uchiha sibling frowned at his younger brother before sighing, "Take her outside and talk to her. Toshiro and I will handle this guy."

"Thanks, Itachi." Sasuke said and moved close to Sakura, who winced. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her along with him.

Toshiro glanced over at his uncle, "Is it really the best to… do this?"

"Yeah…" Itachi sighed, "Sasuke won't hurt her."

The hooded-Uchiha watched his uncle, "Do you even know that? My father is so different…"

Itachi smirked, "You seem to think that I know your identity, did you slip up?"

Toshiro's eyes widened and then he coughed, ". . ."

"I did mention I knew your identity, but I wouldn't say that aloud." The elder Uchiha brother said softly.

Toshiro turned his head and shook it, "You're just a person that can tell what one is thinkin', ne?"

* * *

"I know you knew about this when we were at the bridge!" Sasuke snarled as he pushed the rosette up against a tree roughly, making sure she had no means of escape.

Sakura shivered and looked away from his piercing, Sharingan eyes, ". . ."

"Why… didn't you say anything? Do you hate me _that much_?" the Uchiha asked, very softly.

The rosette froze, "… What do you mean by that? How can I hate _you_?"

Sasuke chuckled rather bitterly, "You wanted to kill me."

Guilt tore at Sakura's heart before she murmured, "So did you…"

The Uchiha growled, "Is that what it's about? You're an idiot."

"_Excuse me_!?" Sakura yelled and turned her head once more so that she could glare at the Uchiha.

"You tried to kill me, _first_." The raven-haired rogue-nin growled as he watched her with his haunting, red eyes.

"I…" Sakura looked away from him, she could not watch him anymore.

"And now, you go and hide something as _important _as _this _from me!" Sasuke yelled.

The rosette grit her teeth before breathing out, "I had to protect _him _or _her _from you!"

Sasuke grasped her chin roughly and forced her to look at him, "_That's _your reason!?"

"Yes! I don't want _my _child to grow up knowing how much of a killer his father is!" the medic yelled back as she tried to pull away from Sasuke.

"_He's _not just _yours_!" the angry Uchiha growled out.

Sakura's eyes widened, "N… Nani?"

"He's _ours_, Sakura… ours, not just yours…" Sasuke whispered, tone lighter and calmer.

The rosette watched as the red hue disappeared to reveal onyx. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she noticed the look Sasuke was giving her. She then frowned, "You said to me that what we did was just a form of release. … I can't – I _won't _allow the father of my child to treat me in such a way."

"That was a lie." Sasuke grunted out.

"I highly doubt it…"

"It _was_."

"You're a liar, Sasuke-kun."

"… Tch. That isn't _why _I did it…"

"Then _why_?" Sakura eyes were filling with tears at a fast rate and Sasuke _did not _want to make her cry at this point of time.

Sasuke dropped her, allowing her to land on her feet as he backed away from her. "I won't allow anyone to take something that was _always_ mine, Sakura. You remember, don't you? I don't want scum to touch what's mine."

_A sick smirk made its way onto the Uchiha who was coated by the tattoos and marking of the Curse Mark, "You like these arms, don't you?" Sasuke asked coldly as he put a bit of pressure onto the Sound-nin's arms. He then breathed out, "Don't… touch _my _teammates… especially her…" and with a quick tug, the Sound-nin's arms were broken. A cry of pain surrounded the area._

". . ." Sakura pressed her back against the bark of the tree and glanced to the ground, seeming to find it better than looking into the Eternal Mangekyou-user's eyes. "I remember…"

The Uchiha then looked at the hole where both he and Sakura had come from, "… Is he… really mine?"

"Huh?" Sakura murmured as Sasuke's eyes snapped onto her stomach, realizing what it was that Sasuke was asking, she nodded her head. "You're… the only person I've ever…" she blushed and gently ran her fingers over the small bump.

The Uchiha moved closer to her once more and then crouched down before pressing his ear against her stomach, listening. Sakura wanted to push him away, as she still was not trusting of him. She was still not sure as to what it was that he wanted at this very moment. "Sasuke-kun… stop."

Sasuke did not listen, but moved his own hand to hers and gently stroked it, as if to say 'calm down, I won't do anything'. The rosette still was extremely uncomfortable, but allowed the young Uchiha to do what it was that he wanted. She knew that she would not be able to stop him, anyways. "I can hear him…" Sasuke breathed as he listened in on the child, "His heartbeat…" His eyes made their way back onto Sakura, "How far along?"

"H-Huh? Why don't you know the date?" Sakura asked, slightly puzzled.

The Uchiha frowned, "I don't know."

"Eh… three months."

"Nine months for a pregnancy, ne?" Sasuke asked as he stood up and regained his posture.

The rosette nodded, "Give or take."

The Uchiha then groaned, "I need to help out my brother. Stay out of the way."

"Hey! I'm not completely-…"

"I'm not saying you're useless, Sakura."

"Huh?"

"Tch. Come on." Sasuke once more grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her along with him.

* * *

"Kuso!" Naruto swore as he dodged more debris headed his way. He then glanced around and saw that some shinobi were impaled by the steel. His eyes widened. "N… No…!" he croaked out.

And then the next part happened in seconds – debris was headed skilfully for Naruto who was not paying attention. Hinata jumped in to make sure that he would not get injured, but Neji intervened by pushing her back. The brown-haired Hyuuga was impaled by the dark metal. He croaked up a cough as Naruto and Hinata watched, their eyes wide. "N-Neji-nii-san…" Hinata stuttered as she looked at the brown head of her cousin.

"Hinata-sama… are you fine?" Neji asked with a croak.

Hinata nodded her head as tears began to build in her pearly eyes, while Naruto watched with shock. '_D-Did Neji and Hinata-chan try to-…!'_ The raven-haired heiress grasped at Neji's body hopelessly as he fell backwards with Hinata on the bottom. Naruto moved the front with his eyes glassy and liquidly. "N-Neji… why…?" the blond asked hopelessly as he helped Hinata hold up their comrade.

"Lady Hinata-sama would d-do anything for you, Naruto… don't forget that…" Neji breathed as he closed his eyes, darkness beginning to take him over.

Naruto cried out, "Don't! Don't give up, onegai!"

Hinata's eyes filled with more tears as she watched her cousin's chakra fade away to nothing and felt his body become colder and colder as more seconds passed by. "N-Neji-nii-san… doushite?"

"Where the hell – Where the hell is a medic!?" Naruto screamed as he tried to wake up Neji.

Two masked shinobi landed beside them, causing Naruto to growl and nearly lunge at the both of them. The female glared at the blond, "Enough. He's… gone, okay?"

"No – No you're _lying_!"

"She's not…" the male murmured quietly as he watched the blond, "He's gone… Don't make his death a waste."

"Huh?" Hinata responded and watched the male, "You… who are you?" she glanced at the kunoichi, "Who are the both of you?"

"Can't say." The female answered.

The male then snorted, "Stupid orders from Toshiro's fucking dad."

"T-Toshiro?" Naruto mumbled and watched the two in front of him, "You know him?"

The kunoichi nodded, "Hai. He's our teammate." She then crouched in front of Neji and gently placed a hand against his chest. "Gomen… but he's gone."

Naruto got up and then glared up at the smirking Obito, "You _fucking bastard_!"

* * *

"Izanami, huh?" Toshiro commented as he dodged a bunch of snakes which were flung at him. His eyes narrowed as the three tomoe span faster and faster, "It's 'cause he's using Snake Sage, ne?"

Itachi nodded and allowed himself to be stabbed. Sasuke growled out a curse as he tossed a shuriken with a paper bomb attached to it in Kabuto's general direction. Itachi jumped back before groaning. The reanimation allowed his body to be regenerated, but that did not mean that it kind of hurt to be stabbed. "Yeah. He's blocking his eyesight."

Sakura watched the battle from behind a rock that Sasuke had dropped her off at. He also warned her _not _to move from that spot. She did as she was told as she somewhat feared his wrath if she did not listen. The medic scowled as she watched Toshiro deflect more snakes with his regained katana. "Mattaku… I feel so useless because of these guys…" she then bit her lip, '_But I do understand why it would be best if I did not fight. Pregnant women usually don't have access to their chakra since it is being fed to the baby to allow him or her to mature. This is how each shinobi gets their chakra. The male's chakra is given to the child through their…'_ Sakura blushed, '_… sperm when the egg was first fertilised. From what I know, quite a bit of the male's chakra makes up their sperm, so that is how a child gets their father's chakra. Now… since the baby has Uchiha DNA in him, the strands needed for the Sharingan _may _have been passed on. Since there's not a one-hundred percent chance of a child gaining the kekkei genkai if both parents don't have the kekkei genkai, there is the slight chance that the baby _won't _get the Sharingan_.'

Toshiro then dodged a move that should have missed, shocking everyone other than himself and Itachi. The hooded-man landed on his feet gracefully and glared over at the snake, "You know… thinking you can beat us is wishful thinking."

"Eh?" Kabuto then chuckled, "You're useless to me! I have Sage Mode and the rest of you don't!"

Toshiro cracked his fingers and then did a few hand-signs, "That's what you think." As a _shadow clone _landed beside Toshiro, wearing the hood as well. "You know what to do." Toshiro said with a low tone, the cloneseeming to understand, headed off to do whatever it was that the face-less man said.

The natural chakra-user scowled, "What are you possibly going to do with _one_ clone?"

"A lot of things. Like beating your ass, for one." Toshiro said as he fell into a fighting position once more with his katana in front of him, "… I have gained a lot of things from both of my parents, and that will be your downfall."

Itachi smirked from beside Sasuke, "Interesting. Prove to me just how much you're like your parents, Toshiro."

Toshiro grinned slightly underneath his hood, "Heh. Don't need to ask me twice, Itachi." And with that, the hooded-man charged at the snake-man once more with an obvious intent to kill, but then he froze. Out of nowhere.

Kabuto laughed, "Is that all you can do?"

The hooded-man looked around, "What…? There's no way that Otou-san could be… Unless… Kuso!"

Itachi tilted his head in concern, "What is it?"

Toshiro launched backwards so that he was further away from the Uchiha brothers and Kabuto. "Fuck… I didn't think that _he _could come here himself."

The elder Uchiha brother rose an ebony brow, "_Who_?"

And as if to answer the man's question, a loud explosion was heard. Everyone froze (including Kabuto). The snake-man looked around and then scowled, "It's as if… there's two Sasuke-kuns."

"What?" Sakura murmured as she shakily stood up, "The hell do you mean?"

Toshiro already knowing what was going around looked around, "Okaa-san… where the hell are you?"

"Here, Toshiro-chan." A soft voice said. It came from outside, and the moment that Toshiro heard it… he ran outside.

The Uchiha brothers looked at one another before seizing the opportunity to take down Kabuto with the jutsu that Itachi had mentioned earlier. It was very swift and within seconds, Kabuto was locked in a world where he would have to relieve different events over and over. Sasuke glanced over at Itachi, "There…"

"Yes. I will now look for the jutsu to-…"

"Matte, Itachi." Toshiro called as he re-entered the cave, "I need you to look up something for me before undoing the _edo-tensei_."

Itachi gazed at the other shinobi, "What do you need?"

"How do you perform _edo-tensei_?" Toshiro asked.

The elder Uchiha brother frowned and then nodded, "If it was someone else asking, I wouldn't have done anything. But since it's you… I'll help you out."

"Arigatou, Itachi." Toshiro murmured and bowed his head in respect.

Sasuke was a little confused by that, "Why'd you do that? You act as if he's someone important to you, Itachi. Yet, you obviously don't know him."

Itachi nodded, "Hn."

The younger Uchiha brother allowed his crimson eyes to narrow to slits, "What is it that you're hiding?" that question was to Toshiro, but the hooded-man did not bother to answer.

The elder Uchiha then used his fingers to open Kabuto's eyes, "_Tsusukiyomi_!" Within seconds, the information that the black-haired Uchiha needed was given to him. He closed the snake's eyes and then glanced at Toshiro before putting the faceless shinobi into a different genjutsu to give the hand-signs to him.

Toshiro blinked out of the genjutsu, "Thanks. That will help me."

Itachi nodded and then went back to Kabuto to get him to dispel the genjutsu, within seconds, Kabuto had begun stringing together the hand-signs needed for this jutsu. Itachi then began to fade, he glanced to Sasuke who looked angry. "You broke your promise, Itachi." Sasuke growled out in a gravelly tone.

The elder Uchiha brother pursed his lips before moving his hand to Toshiro's hood, something seemed to paralyse him. "W-What are you…?"

"I think it's time to tell everyone who you are," Itachi pulled off the hood completely, "Uchiha Toshiro."

Sasuke and Sakura watched with shocked expressions as the man known as Toshiro was revealed. Toshiro looked identical to Sasuke, the only difference was the _exact same _eyes as Sakura. The younger Uchiha did not know what to say and watched Toshiro with curiosity as well as a hint of anger. The elder Uchiha brother spoke, "I wish I could have seen how you could have grown, Toshiro."

"… I wish I knew you, Itachi… oji…" Toshiro whispered as Itachi enveloped his nephew in a quick hug.

The elder Uchiha brother was still fading and then whispered in the newly-revealed Uchiha's ear, "You can do whatever it is that you need to do. I know you – along with your team – can do it. I place my trust in you, as well as your mother and Naruto."

Toshiro nodded and pulled out of the hug. "I have a lot to thank you for, Itachi-oji."

Sasuke glanced at his brother who was smiling a genuine smile to the other Uchiha, "W… Why? Why is he calling you his uncle?"

Itachi shook his head, "I have to leave now, Sasuke. I will _always _believe in you as well. Do what you wish… but don't forget about your family. And by family, I don't mean the clan, either." The elder Uchiha said as he poked his brother in the forehead like had done so many times before leaning into press his forehead against his brother's, "I will always love you, Sasuke. You too, Toshiro."

"Itachi…" Sasuke whispered and closed his eyes as his brother disappeared completely.

Sakura could not say anything in this situation since she had no right to, but she watched Toshiro with a lot of shock. "Who… are you?"

Toshiro gazed over at the rosette, "Like Itachi-oji said; my name is Uchiha Toshiro."

"We know that already!" Sasuke snapped, angry because he had to once more watch his older brother disappear and die before his eyes, "Tell us who the fuck you are! And by that, I mean why the fuck do you look like me!"

Toshiro's emerald eyes fell, "It's a long story… but I'll tell you."

* * *

[_Meanwhile…_]

An older and more mature Sakura dodged the black flames that were expertly aimed towards her. She glared over at the man that had taken control of the one she loved, "How about stop using Sasuke-kun's moves, huh?"

Orochimaru laughed as his the Sharingan glowed before spinning, "I don't think so, Sakura-chan. Too bad I don't want to kill you… after all, this body _does _have its _needs_."

The rosette wanted to be sick, "You… You bastard!" she screamed as she launched herself at him, the seal on her forehead beginning to grow in size as she allowed it to be activated. A chakra infused fist was aimed at the snake's face, but was caught. Sakura then used the newly gained Mangekyou in her left socket to create flames.

Orochimaru was forced to toss her away as he smirked at her, "Who thought someone like you would be able to wield Sasuke-kun's Sharingan so well?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Sakura screamed as she grasped the (now bleeding) eye. She lost so much chakra from using Sasuke's Sharingan, it was a pain, but it was useful at times like this.

The one who possessed an Uchiha smirked, "How does it feel to fight against the man you love, Sakura? It has to be bad… ne? Plus, he can no longer protect you…"

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura yelled as the raven-haired woman appeared from nowhere, to only be flung back by a white-haired man who was wielding the Executioner's Blade.

The rose-haired medic frowned, "… Why? Suigetsu… why would you…?"

The white-haired shark-man grinned, "I said I wanted to collect swords, don't cha remember?"

Karin landed besides Sakura and glared over at the father of her child, "He won't listen. I've already tried." Scars littered the red-haired woman's body, all of those dealt from Suigetsu.

Hinata was ready to attack Orochimaru and Suigetsu head on, but Karin stopped her. "I want to take out Sui… it's the best I can do."

Sakura glanced over at Hinata, "Help me out with Orochimaru."

Orochimaru smirked as he rubbed his purple lined eyes with his fingers, "I don't think that will be enough, Sakura-chan."

The rosette smirked, "Remember, you're not the only one with visual jutsu."

The body-stealer nodded his head and then smirked, "But you don't want to change the past much, now do you? If you 'accidently' kill someone from this time, it will fuck up the future!"

"The future's already fucked up by you!" Sakura snarled, "And I would _never _kill someone who isn't involved!"

Orochimaru pondered about this for a while before stating, "You want to avenge your precious Sasuke-kun, don't you? You're a lot more like him than I would have expected. Even now… you're a lot like an avenger now."

Hinata shook her head, "Iie! Sakura-chan would _never _kill her own flesh and blood for revenge! She is doing this to save the man she loves as well as her son!"

The man laughed wickedly, "Oh really? I think she's doing more for herself than for them."

"You don't know me, bastard." Sakura growled out as she reopened the Sharingan eye. The Sharingan was now in its basic form. The rosette's long hair swept out behind her as wind brushed past them. "You don't know what I've been through… you don't know how bad I _honestly _want to kill you!"

Orochimaru chuckled, "There! There it is, the part that makes you like Sasuke-kun! You're blood thirsty!"

"No… I'm only blood thirsty for _your _blood!" And with that, Sakura charged once more towards her enemy with the full intent to cause him a painful death. But Orochimaru… disappeared… out of nowhere. Sakura cursed, "Fucking _shadow clone_!"

* * *

"There." Toshiro said as he clapped his hands together after he finished explaining and showing his parents multiple genjutsu. The Uchiha then tossed off his duster that he had been wearing for the last few weeks to reveal the black shirt which had the Uchiha symbol on the back of it. The same shirt that he had looked after and washed when he had the chance.

Sakura's eyes were as wide as saucers while Sasuke seemed to be calm. The Eternal Mangekyou-user then frowned, "How can we know for sure that you're from the future?"

If Toshiro could comically fall over without hurting his pride, he would have. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Sasuke scowled once more, "That could be all made up. It's a genjutsu."

Sakura pushed past Sasuke who had earlier moved her behind him. She walked up to Toshiro and touched his cheek before taking in his chakra. Sasuke wanted to (oh so badly) move her hand from his face. The rosette pulled her hand away and watched Toshiro in wonderment, "Unbelievable…"

"Hn?" Sasuke grunted and watched Sakura, "What is it?"

The rosette smiled softly, "He _is _ours."

Sasuke could not believe this woman, "How can you know that?"

"I'm carrying your child at this very moment, Sasuke-kun. Toshiro's chakra is _exactly _the same as the baby's that I'm carrying inside of me." The rose-haired medic explained.

Sasuke really, really could not believe it. "Let me feel then."

Toshiro frowned, "I don't think she'd let you. Why can't you just take her word for it?"

The last Uchiha growled out, "Because I _can't_."

"Why not? Do you really not trust her enough?" Toshiro asked and then shook his head, "Look, now is _not _the time to be fighting over this… we need to destroy Kabuto's body."

Sakura wanted to say something, so she did, "Sasuke-kun… trust me; I know how to feel a baby's chakra… especially since I am now pregnant."

Sasuke dropped his head before nodding, "Fine. I'll test it out later though."

"Hn. Fine with me." Toshiro responded and then stalked towards Kabuto's body with the emerald in his eyes being replaced by the basic Sharingan.

A giggle then escaped from Kabuto's lips as he looked at Toshiro, "Too late…" he hissed as his body was pulled back by an unknown force.

"Shit." Toshiro and Sasuke muttered at the same time, their eyes beginning to spin. Sasuke pushed Sakura behind him.

"It really _was _handy learning how to use puppet strings, huh?" a laugh then came from the direction of the one who was talking.

Sasuke scowled, not knowing who was talking. "Who are you?"

The same sounding giggle resided from the one who was controlling Kabuto's body, "Interesting question, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura glanced at Toshiro who looked like was about to explode. She then realized before gasping, "That's…!"

Sasuke allowed himself to sneak a side-look in Sakura's general direction, "What is it?"

The rose-haired medic fearfully clenched Sasuke's shirt, "S-Sasuke-kun I think it's…"

"Yeah, it is." Toshiro grumbled with a hoarse tone, "Where's Okaa-san? She should be handling him."

Orochimaru laughed, "Oh? Well your mother is pretty hopeless when it comes to these things… See, her _eye _must be playing up now…"

"Don't tell me she's overused it…" the Uchiha heir growled.

Sasuke looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Toshiro did not mention that one _little _detail to his father and mother, "Not now."

The rose-haired kunoichi shivered once more, "Toshiro said that Orochimaru is strong in his time…"

"That's who it is?" Sasuke choked out.

"Ku, ku, ku… You're not very smart are you, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru hissed once more. He then revealed himself as Kabuto's body slumped before collapsing entirely on the ground. Sakura let out a startled gasp, her eyes widening quite a bit.

The raven-haired Uchihas stood forwards. Toshiro spoke, "You're not very smart yourself, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru finally decided to reveal himself, he smirked. "Did you know… it's really yours and your mother's fault that all of this has happened, Toshiro-kun."

Toshiro froze and then allowed his eyes to narrow to slits, "What?"

The snake-sannin let out a bout of laughter before talking once more, "Do you ever wonder why I was ever able to control Sasuke-kun? It has something to do with Sakura-chan and yourself…"

The Uchiha heir bit his lip, "What do you mean?" he asked in an inquisitive tone.

"Oh? So it _is _true that your mother has never told you… I suppose it _is _understandable, after all." Orochimaru sighed and then covered one eye before allowing the Mangekyou to flood into his left eye. "Well… Let me show you then!"

And within seconds, Toshiro was dragged into a genjutsu.

* * *

_"So you did decide to come out, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked. He was no longer controlling Sasuke's body in whatever dream this was. Toshiro looked down at his hands and noted that he was watching a memory. So, Orochimaru did indeed drag him into a genjutsu. "Are you really that protective of them, Sasuke-kun?"_

_The said Uchiha emerged from the darkness of the forest. The man's eyes were a hardened coal. "Tch."_

_Orochimaru let out a soft cackle, "How _embarrassing!_ The great Uchiha Sasuke has something to protect…"_

_Sasuke allowed a look of annoyance fall onto his face before muttering, "What's the deal, Orochimaru?"_

_"Oh, it's a very simple one." The snake-sannin said as he licked his lips with his long tongue, "All you have to do is give me your body."_

_Sasuke clenched his teeth, "… Why would I do that?"_

_The scientist held his hands out, "Your family. I'll kill them if I don't get what I want."_

_The Uchiha monarch's eyes widened, "You-…"_

_"I would… after all, I have always wanted the Sharingan. Then again, I could always capture Sakura… she is pregnant with your child, ne?" the black-haired man said with a snide._

_The last Uchiha held back a growl before saying, "You wouldn't be able to get to them."_

_Orochimaru wanted to _laugh _at Sasuke, "You're not going to be there to protect them all of the time, Sasuke-kun."_

_Sasuke looked like he was about to lose the plot, "… That may be so, but there are others who will-…"_

_"Genjutsu." Orochimaru uttered and then smirked, "I can even create an army… of the undead."_

_The Uchiha's eyes widened, realizing that the paedophile was correct, "…"_

_"Aa… so you finally realized I was right?" _

_"…"_

_"Silent as ever, ne?"_

_"… Shut up."_

_"Now, if you betray me and run off… I'm sure you'll know what will happen to Sakura and that child…"_

_"If I… agree to this, you'll leave them alone?"_

_Orochimaru licked his lips, "Of course."_

_Sasuke turned his head, "… Fine."_

_The snake-sannin then chuckled, "I'll give you a week to be with Sakura… that is all. Meet me here after."_

_The Uchiha felt weak, so weak, "… Hai."_

_Toshiro's eyes widened; his father did _all of this _for them? "Why…? Why the hell would you do this?!" the Uchiha heir screamed at his father. "Why would you allow yourself to be taken over – like this!?" His father, of course, could not hear him._

* * *

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura began as she walked to the side of Sasuke, "We need to wake him up…"

Sasuke shook his head, "Iie. Orochimaru is showing him a memory of some sort."

The rose-haired medic gazed at the father of her child, "What do you mean? How do you know that?"

The Uchiha monarch watched the scene before him, "It's easy to see. His body isn't tensed."

Sakura glanced over at the still Toshiro; like Sasuke had said, his body was not fully tensed. "Oh."

Sasuke frowned, "It's obvious that what Toshiro was telling us was true."

The rosette nodded, "I wish it wasn't…"

"Hn." Sasuke agreed as he watched Toshiro snap out of it.

The Uchiha heir let out a strangled breath; to Sasuke, it was obvious that whatever he saw had scared him. "What did the bastard show you?"

"Dammit…" Toshiro growled as he pulled at his raven bangs, "Why the fuck-…"

Orochimaru let out a sigh, "Are you really that surprised? Sasuke-kun would do anything for the people he cares for…"

The Uchiha heir's eyes flashed angrily, "You… bastard!"

The one controlling another's body grinned wickedly, "Literally, you're the bastard here."

Now, that comment was below the belt. Toshiro looked as if he had been hit, but quickly regained his composure, "Shut up."

Sasuke looked a little angry about that one too, "Enough."

"Yeah… no." Orochimaru said before shaking his head, "Now, as much as I love talking, I think it's time I take Toshiro-kun."

The Uchiha monarch watched on with a light amount of confusion, "Why?"

Toshiro allowed electricity to spark out, "He's after my eyes."

Sasuke watched his future son, "Why?"

The Uchiha heir charged forwards as the clone from earlier reappeared, its eyes coated in purple and fangs overhanging his lips, it then disappeared, giving that power to the Sharingan-user. Toshiro's eyes turned purple, much like the clone, as his canines grew and began to hang over his lips, like fangs. The Uchiha heir then threw a punch, which Orochimaru caught and smirked, "You seem to think that I cannot see what you're doing… We're people with visual prowess and dojutsu."

"No…" Toshiro said lowly as he allowed his bangs to cover his eyes, "Someone like you has _no _right to the Sharingan… You're no man with his own dojutsu. How pathetic… you're so weak that you have to threaten a man's family to become stronger…"

Orochimaru growled and within seconds, snapped Toshiro's wrist. The Uchiha heir jumped back and bit back a howl of pain. Sakura rushed to the heir's side. Sasuke watched Orochimaru intently, "Tch… weak."

The psycho man let out a laugh, "Me? Weak? Bull… You're just too weak to think of the things that I can do!"

"Aa…" Toshiro agreed and then chuckled bitterly, "Everyone has their weaknesses emotionally… each person has an emotional attachment to something, and you exploited that in my father… That does not make you strong… in a way, it makes you even weaker than a genin…"

The snake looked like he was about fly off the handle, "What!?" he screeched.

"It's pathetic… you're so weak that you cannot even try to take out (or capture) my father without having to use his weaknesses…"

"But-…"

"People like you… are why there is a war going on in this time…"

Sakura gently took Toshiro's shattered wrist and forced her chakra into her hand with a lot of difficulty, "Shit…" she cursed as she let out a tired sigh. She then realigned his wrist so that it could be healed without much difficulty while the chakra glowed on her hands. After a few moments, she was able to fully heal the Uchiha heir. The rosette let out a tired pant before passing out. Toshiro caught her and glanced at Sasuke who had his attention now solely on her.

"You have nothing to do with this, Otou-san," Sasuke cringed, "Leave with her and make sure that she is safe. I'll do what I can here… but I'm _begging_ you, don't bring back Orochimaru just to bring back the kages." Toshiro said as Sasuke walked to his future son and picked Sakura out of his arms. Sasuke then lifted her up bridal style and gave a solid nod before heading off to wherever it was that he had intended.

"Is it really wise to leave your life as well as your mother's in his hands?" Orochimaru questioned as he crept closer, "And was it wise to allow yourself to have no help?"

Toshiro closed his eyes and reopened them to reveal his Mangekyou; the background of it was black with a red, jagged 'x' through it with a single red tomoe in each gap. The kekkei span for a moment, "… I don't care." And with that, the Uchiha heir lunged.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Notes; **So, I updated early because... well, I'm nice. And... yeah. It also has to do with the awesome reviews I got from everyone! Thanks so much xD

Now, onto some more... I guess, serious stuff... Last Saturday, Paul Walker passed away through a car crash. He was doing a charity event and was trying out a Porsche. He was not the driver, it was an ex-race-car driver. Now, I guess you're wondering why I care so much... I'm fourteen, and I basically grew up with the Fast and Furious movies... so I was badly affected by this... It's really my own opinion, and I'm sure other people would feel the way I do...  
Anyways, enough of this now...

**R.I.P**


	8. Suigetsu's Truth and Stinging Hearts

_Ami pulled at her hair, "Onegai! It isn't that bad; don't walk away!" she screamed as she stared down at the Uchiha symbol which seemed to be laughing at her._

_Toshiro turned his head, clearly not liking this whole situation. "What's so bad about me leaving? Nobody wants me here, anyways. There's no point in me being in this fucking village."_

_Both Toshiro and Ami were fourteen. Lately, Toshiro had been treated worse by the villagers; so, he gave up. He could not handle this hatred towards him. If he stayed, he would ultimately snap and perhaps even kill the bastards who were saying shit at him and about him._

_Ami's tears fell onto the ground, "You _do _have people who care about you, Toshiro-kun!"_

_The Uchiha heir let out a bitter laugh, "Heh… and that gives me a reason to stay because?"_

_The red-haired Uzumaki did not sob or anything; it was silent. "… If you leave, you'll prove those bastards right, Toshiro-kun!"_

_The young, raven-haired shinobi grunted. "Like I care. They can feel as if they have won, if they wish."_

_"But you…" Ami clenched her fists by her side, "You're an Uchiha; you shouldn't let this get to you-…"_

_"An Uchiha, huh?" Toshiro turned around fully, allowing Ami to finally see him; red had flooded into his normally kind, beautiful eyes. Three tomoe spun around one eye; two on another. "… The only reason why people want me here is because of-" he pointed at his eyes, "-this curse!"_

_The red-haired girl shook her head furiously, "No! That isn't-…"_

_Toshiro let out the same bitter chuckle from before, "What the hell would you know? What would someone like you know what it's like to be hated, huh?"_

_Ami sniffed and wiped away her tears, "Sure… I…" she walked towards him slowly, his eyes never kept swayed off of her. It was the same for her; she did not take his eyes off of him. When she was right in front of him, she reached her hand out and touched his hair. His eyes widened, and he was too shocked to move away. She then gave him a small, sad smile, "… Don't understand what it's like to be hated… but I… I understand what it's like for people to call you a… traitor's kid…"_

_Toshiro then did something they both did not expect; he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close before pressing his lips against hers in a soft kiss._

_After they finished, he licked his lips and did not let go of her. "… Hn."_

_Ami bit her lip and then mumbled, "I love you…"_

_His eyes widened for the umpteenth time that night, "You-…"_

_She kissed his cheek, "Of course… I've always… loved you…"_

_After that night, Toshiro decided to stay – for her. And ignored everyone else. He no longer cared. Ami… she became the light in his life…_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 8 - Suigetsu's Truth and Stinging Hearts**

* * *

Karin dodged a water dragon as she created her own with a string of hand-signs. Her crimson eyes were narrowed as she watched the beast dive in Suigetsu's general direction… only for him to not be there. '_Left…_' she glanced left, _'… Right…_' she glanced right, '_… Down…'_ she did not even bother with that one. "_Substitution._" She mumbled as she did a single hand-sign before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Suigetsu swung his Executioner's Blade in the spot where the red-haired woman _was_. He looked around and cursed inwardly, "Mattaku, Karin-_chan_… do you _have _to play hard to get all of the time?"

She reappeared behind him and landed a forced kick to his skull, only to have him disappear in water, "I don't think _I'm_ the one who plays hard to get, Sui." She muttered coldly.

The two had been playing this game for the last God-only-knows-how-long. She was really starting to get sick of this annoying game it seemed that he was playing. He could have finished her off _ages _ago, she knows that, but yet he uses her as something to play with when he is bored. Karin… knows that Suigetsu was holding back. He attacked with the intent to kill, of course, but something _always _stopped him. _Something_. Karin and he had fought quite a few times in various different places and it always ended in the rose-haired woman nearly being killed, but he would then flee without saying anything. On various occasions when Suigetsu had pinned her, he looked as if he was about to kiss her. But she pushed him away before he could do anything… or disappeared.

"Question," Suigetsu began as he put the blade on his back as he charged at her, with the intent to use taijutsu, "Does our daughter fight like you do? Or does she fight like me?"

Karin's eyes widened as he got a good hit on her stomach when she was not paying attention. She jumped back and hacked up a good amount of her blood before trailing her hand down to heal her stomach from the internal damage that would have been caused by that. Wiping her mouth abruptly, "Don't act as if you want to know, _Sui_." Karin growled out harshly.

Suigetsu gave a lazy grin, "But I _wanna _know, Karin-chan!"

The redette shook her head, "Urusai."

The shark-man rolled his eyes, "It's against the law to not allow the father of the child know how they-…"

"It doesn't matter if you were _never _there and tried to kill her, Suigetsu!" Karin screamed in anger, her eyes filling with angry tears.

The sword-user had a look of pain for a moment before muttering, "What would you know, Karin-chan?"

"What…?"

"I said," he spoke with more force than he has ever really used, "_what do you know_?"

The crimson-haired woman stayed still and watched with unblinking eyes before whispering, "What do you mean by that?"

Suigetsu then shook his head, "I can't say."

Karin cried out, "Why the hell not!?"

"I just _can't_!" the water-style-user shouted back angrily.

* * *

[_Meanwhile_]

Sasuke gently laid down the rosette in a spot where it seemed that nothing was around, he watched her for a moment before going to his own thoughts. The Uchiha now had something else in this world that was not his revenge – two things, actually. But the hatred he felt for the Hidden Leaf was still there… he wanted to destroy the village still. The Uchiha monarch glanced at the mother of his child; would she hate him if he went and destroyed the village before her? He was sure that even she would.

The Uchiha wanted to figure this out, but he was not too sure where to begin. Sasuke, as much as he would never, ever say it, believed that Sakura would be the one thing that could potentially stop him from destroying the place he had once called home. Sasuke then thought back to his older brother and how much he would have suffered because of that mission from Danzo. The Uchiha felt anger pour into him as he clenched his fists tightly. "Fuck it." Sasuke growled as he closed his eyes.

Sasuke then looked at his hands in disbelief; he was going to be a father. He never expected that. Not at all. Especially from Sakura. Yes, she would have been his first choice. But… he did not really want to restore the Uchiha clan in that sense anymore. At least, that was what he kept on telling himself. To be honest, the Uchiha monarch was happy. He had finally completed another _important _goal. Only one more left; destroy the Hidden Leaf. But that is easier said than done. Now, he had a child that would more than likely be raised in that village.

As much as Sasuke would hate it, he kind of understood why his heir should be raised in that village; the Uchiha clan had once resided there; it was a powerful village that would do a lot to protect their citizens, and lastly it also contained the many sacred documents that were of use to Sharingan-users. And Sasuke was nearly positive that any child that he fathered would contain his clan's kekkei. Sasuke then thought to Toshiro; indeed, the child would have the Sharingan. Sasuke was impressed to say the least at Toshiro's skills, but he was sure that he has not yet seen everything that the Uchiha heir has to offer.

The Uchiha glanced over at Sakura once more; she was resting peacefully with her arm wrapped around her stomach, as if to protect it from the dangers of the world. Sasuke then realised that Sakura had been a rather good mother without him being around; she had allowed her son to become powerful and she did not hide him from the world, even though many mothers in her situation would not do that. Sasuke would have liked to see what Sakura's future self would have been like; whether or not she had kept her kindness and soft-spot for him, that was something he would have liked to have seen. He wished that he could meet her, and then grovel at her feet (okay, maybe not that much), but apologize to her in some shape or form. She would have been put through a lot for carrying his child, especially since most of the village thought that Sasuke had betrayed them and allowed himself to become the vessel for the snake bastard.

The avenger then felt Sakura's chakra flare up for a moment, alerting to him that she was now awake. She let out a little whimper as she slowly sat up, cushioning her head with the heel of her hands. "Kami…" she looked around and spotted Sasuke before freezing, "… Where's Toshiro?"

Sasuke tilted his head, "Fighting Orochimaru."

The rosette looked down and noted that her chakra was low, "Why are you still here?"

The avenger muttered, "Would you have preferred me leave you there?"

She gulped, "Eh… no?"

Sasuke looked away, "Baka."

"Urusai!" Sakura said loudly, her eyes narrowing. She then shivered again.

Sasuke, noting this, watched her for a moment, "Are you cold?"

The rosette shook her head stubbornly, "_Of course not_." She lied.

The avenger grabbed her and pulled her close to him – ignoring the small squeak of protest. "We have to leave soon." Sasuke stated.

Sakura took a deep breath, "What are you planning to do?"

Sasuke thought about it for a moment before saying, "Konoha."

The rosette's heart stopped, "What!?"

The Uchiha licked his lips before mumbling, "Not for the reason you think."

"Then _why_?" the rose-haired kunoichi asked.

"Uchiha tablet." Sasuke answered.

"The what…?" the rosette asked, a little confused.

"Uchiha tablet." The avenger repeated, clearly not impressed.

The rosette rolled her eyes, "I know that. But what is it?"

Sasuke decided to explain, "It's something that my ancestors wrote a long time ago."

The kunoichi was a bit stunned, "Your ancestors?"

Sasuke nodded as he unconsciously rested his chin a top of her head, "Hai."

The medical-ninja decided to murmur, "Do you know what they were like?"

The Uchiha shook his head, "No… I know that they had a different version of the Sharingan, though."

"Different version?" Sakura mumbled.

The raven-haired-nin nodded, "Yeah."

The pregnant woman wanted to strangle Sasuke because he was giving her short answers, "… What are you going to do with me?"

Sasuke paused before muttering, "You're coming."

"Why?" the rose-haired kunoichi asked.

"Simple."

"Eh?"

"Shinobi know you. You'll know how to get in and out of Konoha without being detected."

"… That's all?"

Nod from the stoic Uchiha.

"As if I'd let you in, Sasuke-kun! You want to destroy the village."

"… Hn." Sasuke grunted, "… I'll kill someone close to you if you don't."

The rosette wanted to hit Sasuke, "_Excuse me_?"

The Uchiha watched _his _woman, "Onna, I swear if you don't help me… I will."

"The hell you won't!" Sakura screeched as she tore away from his grip and away from his warmth. She scrambled away and pulled her legs to her chin as she watched the second last Uchiha with stormy, green eyes. "I'm not some puppet for you to pull around, Sasuke-kun."

"… I never said that."

"And I won't allow you to threaten the people close to me like that."

". . ."

"After all," Sakura rubbed her stomach tenderly, "They're the people who can help me out with _him_."

Sasuke tilted his head, "Hn?"

"I'm sure you're going to abandon me when the war's over…" Sakura sighed and then looked at the sky, "You only want me around so you can find stuff about Konoha…"

The Uchiha – within seconds – pressing his body weight against Sakura, knocking her over so that he was above her, straddling the rosette underneath him, "That isn't it."

The rose-haired woman gave him a scornful look, "Bullshit. You're a liar."

"Will you _ever _stop calling me that?" Sasuke growled out.

Sakura growled right back, "Get off of me."

"… Iie."

"What…? Why the hell not!?"

"You're not raising him on your own. Not this time."

"How in the hell can I possibly raise a child _who will live in Konoha _with someone who would do _anything _to destroy the village that he _will _be raised in!"

"Hell no. You're not raising my child – an Uchiha, might I add – in that village!"

"What have you got against Konoha, anyways!? There's no _logical _reason for you to hate it as much as you do-…"

"They ordered the execution of the clan." Sasuke said as he lifted a little of his weight off of the rose-haired woman below him.

Her eyes widened, "What…?"

"Danzo ordered Itachi to execute the clan to save me."

Sakura let out a gasp, her eyes going wide, "Nani? That couldn't be true!"

Sasuke moved his head down to nuzzle her cheek, shocking Sakura once more. "It is." He mumbled.

The rosette wanted to push Sasuke away, but was too shocked and cautious to do so. "Why…?"

"_Why_?" Sasuke said a little bitterly, "'Cause the Uchiha wanted to start a coup."

The medic used her fingers to move Sasuke's head, with no success. "Sasuke-kun. Get off."

"… No."

". . ."

"We're going to go to Konoha."

"… And we can't leave if you're doing _this_."

"Hn. I can carry you."

"Definitely not."

"Tch. Trust me?"

"Hell no!" Sakura yelled and forced whatever charka she could into her hands to push the Uchiha monarch away a little roughly.

Sasuke glared down at her as his eyes changed into something dangerous. Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as Sasuke gave her a playful smirk. Out. Of. Nowhere. "Hn." Sasuke grunted as he moved closer to the rosette this time, once more pulling her underneath his larger body.

"No way! Sasuke, no!" she yelled at him, finally figuring out his intent.

The Uchiha glared down at her (his eyes still red with the crimson gaze); he did not understand why she was being fearful of him. He then realized and glared down at her. How _low_ did she think he would go? "I'm not going to do _that_." He then smirked, "Unless you want me to?"

The rosette turned her head to the side, "I'll let you into Konoha, just… _don't_."

"Eh?" Sasuke muttered and moved his lips to Sakura's chin, "What was that?"

Sakura then realized what Sasuke had done, "B-Bastard…"

The Uchiha monarch did not respond. He watched her for a moment before stealing a kiss and then moving (very quickly, might I add) out of the way. Sakura looked at the sky; completely stunned. "The… hell?"

Sasuke helped her up when he was sure that she was not going to hit him, "Let's go." His cold demeanour returning.

* * *

"You're not going to be able to do this all day, Toshiro-kun." Orochimaru stated dryly as the younger Uchiha became intangible for a good seven seconds. The snake had figured it out; Toshiro would be delayed for ten seconds and had seven seconds of being invincible. It was a rather handy trick; exactly why Orochimaru wanted Toshiro's eyes. That would make the Mangekyou he already possessed even more so powerful. The snake was sure that Toshiro had the three main elements of the Uchiha's legendary eyes; _Susano'o_, _Tsusukiyomi_ and _Amaterasu_. Those were the three abilities supposedly contained in every Mangekyou-user's eyes.

But Orochimaru had never seen Toshiro use _Tsusukiyomi_. Perhaps the Uchiha heir had a different sort? Not that the snake cared much. Okay, that was a lie – Orochimaru wanted to find out _everything _about an Uchiha's eyes. Orochimaru, using his Chidori coated hand, tried to get the Uchiha heir through the chest, but his hand merely went through. Toshiro bounded away, making sure that when he becomes hittable, the Chidori would _not _be lodged in his chest. Now that would be an annoyance.

The Uchiha heir clutched his eyes, pain searing into his kekkei genkai – he was overdoing it. Orochimaru noticed and licked his lips with his long tongue, "Interesting… for one who is as skilled with the Sharingan as you, it seems it that it's _blinding _you… even now."

Toshiro wiped away the blood that had began to flow down from both of his eyes; much like bloody tears. "Shut up, Orochimaru."

The snake let out a cackle before murmuring, "After all, you're some whore's kid… the only reason you're an Uchiha is 'cause Sasuke wanted release."

Now that comment ticked Toshiro off. His eyes glowed and then purple-red chakra surrounded him. Orochimaru clicked his tongue, proud of himself for doing what it was that he had aimed for. Indeed… Toshiro _was _able to use the _Susano'o_. The chakra formed a spiky rib cage that looked cracked and broken in some places with parts even not evident. The creature fell into its first form; its golden eyes glowing in the darkness of the cave. Orochimaru then went and summoned his own _Susano'o _and compared the two. The first thing that was evident was the fact that Toshiro's _Susano'o_ looked as if it was broken and not fully in the first stage of the powerful attack. Orochimaru squinted his eyes, the Sharingan showing what was underneath the look of the large deity. It was notable that this _Susano'o _was still as powerful as any other; the dark chakra was growing more and more powerful.

Toshiro's eyes glinted and then the light flashed out of them, "You know… there's one thing that has _always _pissed me off, Orochimaru… And that is when my okaa-san is called a whore… I've actually nearly killed people because of it," the Uchiha heir licked his lips before tilting his head and smirking crazily, "And you're next."

"Now _this_… is what I wanted." Orochimaru murmured and then charged at the Uchiha heir with his own _Susano'o_.

* * *

"This is bad." Ami whispered as she pressed her hand against her lips, her eyes full of worry. "I can sense Toshiro's chakra."

Renji glanced over at his teammate who was currently healing a wounded shinobi – he was watching on her, "And? You could sense his chakra from any-…"

"That isn't it. It's… so cold and dark. It's as if his chakra has changed completely…" she bit her lip as she poured more chakra into the injured man who did not understand the conversation going on between Renji and Ami. "It's… a scary feeling. If you were in _Bijuu Mode_, then you'd understand. He's full of hatred at this very moment."

The Uzumaki growled, "He better not lose it."

Ami did not say anything for a moment, but sighed out, "I hope so… too."

* * *

Electricity sparked out from both Toshiro and Orochimaru. The snake scowled before snarling out, "Why not give up!?"

Toshiro smirked and then shook his head, "I don't give up, asshole."

The two once more clashed, their _Susano'o_s having faded earlier (from them both overusing their eyes). As their fists met, lightning sparked from the mixture of their chakra. Toshiro forced his inhuman strength into the hit and forced Orochimaru to fly into the rock wall. Orochimaru coughed and then wiped his mouth as he licked his fingers. Toshiro let out a pant before letting out a strangled growl; his Sharingan faded into greyish-green.

Orochimaru smirked as the Uchiha heir fell to his knees, hacking up blood. The blood was also falling rapidly from his eyes. "Overused it, huh?" the snake stated as he made his way to the young Uchiha. This was his chance.

A genjutsu figure then appeared beside the panting (and still angry) Toshiro. Future Sasuke watched his son before looking at his own body which had been possessed by Orochimaru. "Toshiro. Get up." Sasuke ordered, his voice strained and therefore, rough. He was worried – it was easy to see. It seemed that the snake could not see Sasuke's presence, or merely brushed him off, knowing full well that Sasuke could not do anything in the state he was. "Dammit, Toshiro!"

"Urusai…" Toshiro growled as blood trickled down onto his clenched fist, "Shut the hell up!"

Orochimaru froze, ". . ."

Toshiro glanced up, his vision blurry, "You… are weak. Going after the baby Uchiha, ne?"

". . ." The snake continued his silence.

"Ever since I was little… you went after Okaa-san and I." Toshiro spat out, furiously, "You only attacked the villages for that! You only wanted everyone to hand me over! But for what!? A pair of _fucking _eyes!?"

The sannin licked his lips, "Your abilities are priceless."

Toshiro coughed, more blood spilling on the floor as he pulled himself up more. "That's… all?"

Orochimaru laughed, "It's also payback for your father betraying me all of those years ago… I wish to take something away from him that he obviously cares about."

The Uchiha heir frowned as he shakily got himself back onto his feet, "Bullshit. You're just power-hungry. You _enjoyed _the fact that Otou-san betrayed you. It made things more interesting rather than having him follow you around- _cough_ –like a lost puppy dog."

The sannin's eyes narrowed, "That's what you think!?"

Toshiro stumbled, but collected himself before he fell. "Aa. That is. Losing your family the way you did was the trigger for you to turn into… this."

The long-haired man guffawed, "Seriously? … That wasn't it. I'll give you that, brat. Now give me your eyes!" Orochimaru then lunged at Toshiro.

A pink flash appeared before Orochimaru was pushed away. The pink flash kicked the man in the stomach as Orochimaru used the _Susano'o _to protect himself from damage. A crack was heard as the purple deity's ribcage was damaged as the snake man jumped back to avoid _physical _damage.

"Dammit, Toshiro… Ever since you got those eyes, you overdo it. I know that you know I can heal the damage done by the Mangekyou, but one day you'll overdo it to the point where I can't heal the damage. Then you'll end up blind!" the rose-haired mother yelled to her son as she closed her right eye.

Orochimaru spat out, "Why must you _always _interfere, _onna_?" he growled out, clearly annoyed by the medic's appearance. Again.

Sakura smirked, "You think _I'll _allow you to touch my son?" Orochimaru was about to say something, but Sakura interrupted him, "And do you think I'll let some slimy bastard like you get his eyes, huh!?"

* * *

Karin panted as she fell to one knee. That… was intense. She was freshly out of chakra and if Suigetsu decided to end her now, Karin would not be able to fight it. She glanced up at Suigetsu; he did not seem to be in a much better state than she was. Even though he obviously still had chakra, he was breathing heavily as sweat (or water) poured down his face and down onto the muddy ground at his feet.

Mud streaked Karin's cheek from the amount of Water-style jutsu the pair had been using against one another. When two users of the same chakra type fought, it often ended with the one with the most experience. Since Karin had really only started learning about her chakra type five years ago, she was a long way behind Suigetsu. But she was a fast learner. And that was why she could fight against experienced Water-style users; such as Suigetsu.

The shark-man chuckled and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand, "Shit. You've gotten real good, Karin-chan!" he complimented and laughed again as if this was just some friendly spar.

The red-haired Uzumaki coughed and watched Suigetsu who was grinning friendily at her, as if there was no problem. He looked… rather goofy and looked the same as what he had when Karin and him were together. This… was the side of the shark man that the sensory shinobi missed and loved. Tears pricked behind her eyes, but she furiously shook her head to clear away those thoughts. '_No more tears…_' she thought to herself, '_… this _isn't _the Suigetsu I know and love. He's evil now. He helped Orochimaru take over countless villages and allowed my cousin, Naruto, to be killed. Tch… fucking bastard._' She stood up with new fire burning in her heart, thanks to the thoughts of the deceased Sixth Hokage.

The purple clad shinobi watched on with a little confusion, "Y'know, you're not gonna be able to do anything if you're out of chakra, Karin-chan…"

Yet, Karin swooped towards him (rather slowly since she had no chakra or strength left). "I'm not going to allow you to stop us!" the red-haired woman yelled as she reigned back her fist to punch him fair in the face. Suigetsu scowled and caught her fist before she could do anything. Using her free hand, she went to smack him, but again, he caught her and made sure that she could not do anything to injure him.

"Why fight as if you want to kill me, Karin-chan? Don't tell me that you actually _want _me dead?" Suigetsu whispered, tone silent and deadly. As if daring her to say 'yes'.

The Uzumaki laughed bitterly, "Are you so dense, baka? Would you _really _think that I _wouldn't_ want you dead!? You joined up with the evillest guy on the fucking planet and you have the _decency _to attack your own daughter as well as _me_! I thought you loved me!" Now, her emotions which had been bottled up for years were coming out, "And for whatever _fucking _reason, I still love you! Explain that one to mmph-…" And Suigetsu forced his lips onto her, his kiss was demanding and passionate and said multiple things at the same time. Karin was not that great at reading what a kiss _truly _meant. But she would ask him. If he allowed her.

But then reality hit her. Suigetsu was the enemy. She used the last of her strength to push him away, breaking the kiss as he moved back as if he had been struck. His eyes were wide and he looked down, as if regretfully. "I shouldn't have done that."

That one confused her. But she responded back with a sarcastic, "_Oh really_?"

Suigetsu bit down on his lip with his sharp teeth, "Fuck. You don't get it."

Karin growled out, "Well you never told me _anything_ did you!?"

The shark frowned and pursed his lips, "I don't want to do anything that I'll regret."

"And you don't regret _anything _that you've done!?" Karin screamed.

Suigetsu shot right back, "You think I haven't regretted what I've done!? What man would _not _regret all of the things I've done, huh!? I nearly killed the mother of my child as well as that child!"

The Uzumaki froze, anger seeming to dissipate from her, "Nani?"

The missing-nin clutched his hand against his head, "I… didn't know. If I did, I wouldn't have done this… But maybe I would have… I mean, what Sasuke and I are doing…"

Karin tilted her head, "What…? What do you mean by that, Suigetsu?"

Suigetsu glanced to the side, "I may as well. I mean… I technically just spilled the beans, now didn't I?" He then placed his fingers thoughtfully against his chin, "Now… where shall I begin?"

* * *

_Twenty five years before, Suigetsu and Sasuke were facing each-other. The both of them watching one another intently. The Uchiha monarch spoke first, "What is it?"_

_The purple clad shinobi whispered out, "Why…? Why would you do this to Sakura? To your child?"_

_The Uchiha looked down, ". . ."_

_"Well!?" Suigetsu's arm shot out as he clenched the material in between his hands, "Why the hell would you allow that fucking bastard to take you over?!"_

_Sasuke did not make any effort to get out of his teammate's grip, "I have to protect them."_

_The purple-eyed man's eyes glowed with pure fury, "This _isn't _protecting them!"_

_The Uchiha monarch looked upset, his eyes becoming darker, not from anger… however. "I can't let Orochimaru get his hands on Sakura or my heir."_

_Suigetsu's mouth opened in bewilderment, "You're… this is for them… You're giving your soul to the most evil guy in the world… for them?"_

_Sasuke nodded his head, "Yes. I wasn't there to help out Sakura when she was pregnant earlier on… and I went as far nearly killing her because I was an idiot who can't sense a foetus' chakra."_

_The shark closed his eyes sorrowfully as he let go of Sasuke's shirt and took a few steps back, "How can I help…?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened, "What…? Why would you want to help me…?"_

_"'Cause if Sakura's being threatened, I'm sure as hell positive that Karin would be going through the same thing." Suigetsu then smirked toothily, "And, knowing you… you've got a plan."_

_The Uchiha monarch was speechless for a second, but then recovered and said, "Aa… of course."_

_Suigetsu tilted his head, "And that would be?"_

_Sasuke shook his head, "Not yet…" his eyes then softened, "… are you really willing to not see Karin for a good couple of years and then even act as if you want to destroy the village and take over the world?"_

_Suigetsu nodded, "Yeah. Anything to keep her safe." The shark then smirked, "Look, we're not very similar people… yet, we both agree that we would do anything to keep our important people safe."_

_Sasuke nodded and then headed off to spend his final days with the rosette, while Suigetsu went back home for two years without being bothered.  
_

* * *

"So… two years had passed since Sasuke disappeared. You remember that, ne?" Suigetsu asked. Karin nodded her head. The shark then said, "Well… Orochimaru met me on a mission and threatened you." And the shark went on with his story telling.

* * *

_The shark growled out a few things to the man that had taken over his teammate before stating, "What the hell do you want?"_

_Orochimaru grinned sickly, it looked so wrong in Sasuke's body. "You see, you'll be of use to me…"_

_Suigetsu tilted his head, remembering what he had said to Sasuke two years ago, "How so?"_

_The sannin laughed, "You're one of the last Seven Ninja Swordsmen, of course I would want someone as… unique as you on my side. So what do you say?" Orochimaru then licked his lips with his long tongue, "I'm sure that you wouldn't want… your precious Karin-chan to be dead by the time you get back to the village. My shinobi will get to her before you even return."_

_Suigetsu's eyes widened, "No. Don't."_

_Orochimaru grinned, "Interesting… ex-missing-nin would do a lot for the ones they love, ne…?"_

_The shark looked down without saying anything. Deep inside, he was so angry… he could kill someone. Namely, the bastard snake before him. '_But…_' Suigetsu's fists unclenched, '_I'm not powerful enough. I won't ever be. After all, this guy took over one of the two most powerful shinobi to date…_' "I'll join you. Just don't… hurt her." _

_The snake clicked his tongue, "I'll pull you the same deal I did Sasuke-kun… you have one week to be with her… So, I'd hurry along home, Sui-kun." Shivers ran down the shark's spine, "Or… do you want to go with me now?"_

_"No." Suigetsu said almost instantly, "Give me that week."_

_Orochimaru, seeming to already know what Suigetsu would say, smirked and then headed off to the north-east, "Meet me at the first hideout you went to, yes?"_

_The white-haired man nodded his head and muttered out, "Yeah."  
_

* * *

"Sui-…"

"_Don't._ I'm not finished yet."

* * *

_Suigetsu ran his fingers over Karin's curves as he drew himself deeper inside of her; his heart was stinging. It was nearly time to leave. He breathed her name against her cheek as she cried out, signalling her release. The shark growled as he felt his own release undoing him. He came violently inside of her, gasping out her name as if it was his lifeline… which in all reality, _it was_. _

_He nearly collapsed, but held himself above her, his cock still buried inside of her warmth. He used his hands to hold himself up, his hair falling into his eyes. He was… close to crying. Suigetsu had a few hours left. That was not enough. Suigetsu had gone a few rounds with her tonight, knowing that this may be the last time where he could hold her and be as close to the woman he loved as he was. "I love you…" Suigetsu whispered; he has said it multiple times, but Karin watched him. Her eyes telling him that she was worried._

_"What's-…"_

_"Nothing…" Suigetsu whispered as tears (which Karin did not notice) fell onto her forehead. _

_Karin smiled up at him, "I love you so much, Sui…"_

_"I know…" Suigetsu muttered as he drew her lips into a lengthy, romantic kiss._

_The white-haired man rolled her over so that she was above him. Karin sat up and felt his member (which was still lodged inside of her) become half-hard once more. "One more round?" she whispered sexily._

_Suigetsu smirked (a sad one), "Yeah… one more time, Karin-chan." She did not know the meaning to his words._

_The red-haired Uzumaki began bouncing above him, it was a slow pace, Suigetsu made her do that pace. He wanted his time with her to be as romantic as it can. The pair were close to finishing, and to add more fire to the heat, the shark began thrusting against her… making both of their orgasms occur simultaneously. Suigetsu pulled her over so that they were facing one another. She blushed, "A-Are you going to take yourself out?"_

_Suigetsu gave her a cheeky, half-hearted grin, "Nah…"_

_He then kissed her forehead before moving to her nose and eyes before finally moving to her lips, "I love you, I'm _so _sorry." He mouthed against her before moving his hands so that he could swiftly hit the pressure point at the back of her neck. Her body went slack as he let a sob wrack through him. He broke the kiss before once more kissing her forehead slowly. "Fucking hell… this is _so _messed up, I'm sorry!"_

_He really was. He pulled himself up and allowed himself to be free of her. Instantly missing her warmth, he slipped out of bed before putting on his clothes and taking the bag that he had packed away a few days ago. Time to leave. He looked at her one last time before heading out.  
_

* * *

"That was… when I conceived Ami-chan…" Karin whispered, her eyes dropping.

Suigetsu nodded, "I know."

* * *

_The once again missing-nin was a few hours into his trek to the hideout where he had first met the snake bastard. His heart had dropped so low, he wanted to run back to her and be there for her in the morning. … But that is impossible now. He was now working under Orochimaru. The shark had to become the man he was before he got to know (and fall in love with) Karin. His purple eyes had shed their last tears ages ago, a stony mask replacing the man's usually fun demeanour. He was… a different person now. One who _will _be made emotionless. That was his goal._

_"Suigetsu."_

_A voice startled the shark as he swung the sword that, seconds ago, was on his back in the direction of where the voice originated from. But instead of the usual slurch of the weapon going inside of someone's body, the sword merely fell to the ground. Suigetsu huffed out an annoyed breath, "The hell-…" He saw feet. Feet! See-through feet too… _

_"Suigetsu."_

_The same voice. The purple-eyed man looked up and saw the Uchiha monarch, "Eh? S-S-S-S-S-Sasuke…!?"_

_The said man tipped his head, "Yeah."_

_The missing-nin frowned, "Why… How…?"_

_"Genjutsu." Sasuke merely stated, "It's too hard to explain. I'm not going to explain it to you."_

_Suigetsu nodded, "Okay… Why are you here?"_

_Sasuke's onyx eyes shone with regret, "Gomen. If he didn't-…"_

_"Why ya apologizing?" Suigetsu asked, suddenly annoyed._

_The Uchiha monarch closed his eyes, "In a way, it's my fault that you're in this position."_

_The purple-eyed man shook his head, "Remember? We're both similar in the way that we'd do _anything _for our important people. For you, it's your kid and Sakura-…"_

_"What… is it a girl or boy? Name?" Sasuke asked, asking about his child, "And Sakura… is she okay?"_

_Suigetsu wanted to cry for Sasuke at this moment; the man knew about his kid, but could not actually meet him. "Boy. Sakura called him Toshiro, Toshiro Uchiha. She decided to keep your last name on him. … I think she… she wants him to know who you are, like-…"_

_The Uchiha smirked, "She knows about this… so she knows I'm not actually _wanting _to do bad."_

_The purple-eyed man's beady eyes widened, "What?! She knows!?"_

_Sasuke nodded, "Yeah."_

_Suigetsu then dropped his head, "Honestly… you're not one to be sociable – why are you here?"_

_The Uchiha nodded, seeming to have had enough of talking small talk (even though it was about his heir). "I've found what we're going to do."_

_"Oh?"_

_"… There's a jutsu which can send people to the past."_

_"Eh?"_

_"Yeah… it's actually something that exists."_

_"Alright, but _why_ do you want to do that? I mean… what is it you wanna do?"_

_"I want to send someone who can defeat Orochimaru."_

_"… Dude, you know he's controlling your body at the moment?"_

_"No. I'm meaning when he was weak and couldn't do anything – or someone could stop me from reviving him."_

_"But – But you needed him to be revived so you could learn about what shinobi were and what a village was – that's why you helped with the war in the first place!"_

_"Yeah… but it's better than what our time is now."_

_"… The only reason we won the war was because of the past kages and yourself, and if Orochimaru is not brought back… then the Alliance would lose the war."_

_"Iie."_

_"How so?"_

_"Get the ones who are sent there to help with the war." Sasuke said._

_Suigetsu rose a brow, "But that'd mess up with our time big time, Sasuke!"_

_Sasuke nodded, "I know, but it really can't get much worse than this… Can't you tell? Orochimaru is becoming stronger and stronger with each passing moment. He's even trying to learn Sage jutsu at this moment."_

_"… Who do you have in mind?"_

_"I don't know. I'll know when I see them."_

_"What're you gonna do, take over Orochimaru's (your) body?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"EH!? But you can't, can you!?"_

_"I can. It's very… hard, but I can."_

_"… Alright, alright. Fine… I'll help you with this… Just, do this genjutsu thingie when you need to talk to me, yeah?"_

_"Hn."_

_"Deal?" Suigetsu held out his hand._

_Sasuke shook it and Suigetsu swore that he felt the Uchiha's body heat.  
_

* * *

"Y-You and Sasuke planned all of this!?" Karin screeched, completely bewildered by it all.

"Yeah. Didn't Sakura-chan tell you about this?" Suigetsu asked, a little surprised that Karin did not know about what Sasuke had planned all those years ago.

The red-haired medic shook her head, "No. She just… said that we should trust Sasuke. I didn't really want to trust him since he has done more bad then good."

Suigetsu then tensed, "Huh… what's that?"

Karin looked around and then allowed her sensory abilities to surge, "I see… Renji's using the kyuubi's power."

The shark man scowled, "Sasuke said that they weren't allowed to show who they truly are."

The red-haired woman bit her lip, "Look, I don't know if what you said is really true, but I'm putting my trust in you, Suigetsu. So don't let me down. Got it?"

Suigetsu saluted, "Aye, sir!"

* * *

"A-Ami!" Renji screamed as he held up her body; a spear was through her stomach and blood was gushing out from there as well as her mouth. Her eyes were closed and her body was becoming colder and colder with each passing second. The Uzumaki's kyuubi cloak coated her, "Dammit! Why the fuck did this happen!?"

Everyone on the battlefield was confused by this chakra; only Bee and Naruto should have a tailed-beasts' chakra. But the unknown shinobi had the same signature. But it was like the kyuubi's, which once more confused everyone. Even Obito. But Madara sat above the juubi with a look of annoyance; he seemed to know what was going on. "Interesting."

Ami coughed once more and let a sigh escape her lips, "Huh… I really _am _weak, aren't I?" she breathed.

The black-haired Uzumaki's hood flew off, revealing his face. His fangs hung over his lips without shame and his red eyes showed the fury that he was feeling. He would get back at Madara. That bastard will die by _his hands_, nobody else's. The three lines that streaked his cheeks were now jagged, "Kuso…"

Naruto (using a shadow clone) moved to Renji, "Who the _hell _are you!?"

Renji did not bother responding as he felt Ami's body reject his chakra, showing that she was now gone. His eyes filled with tears, but he gently placed her down and wiped them furiously. He removed his coat completely and covered her body with it. The golden cloak surrounding his body seemed to be darker than Naruto's was – showing his anger.

Naruto grabbed at the dark-haired Uzumaki, forcing him to stand up. "Answer me!"

Renji bit his lip, "Now's not the time… I need to get him back for this…"

The Uzumaki shook his head furiously, "Why do you have the nine-tail's chakra?"

The black-haired Uzumaki growled out, "Tch… Shut the hell up! I… I have to do this before Toshiro fucking shows up! If he sees this and sees that Madara's still alive… he'll lose it! He'll fucking lose the plot!"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Why…?"

Renji moved away from Naruto, "He's an Uchiha. He carries the curse of hatred within him… and that will be awakened if I don't do something."

"An Uchiha?" Now, Naruto was completely bewildered.

The black-haired Uzumaki nodded his head, "Hai. He's… we're… we're from the future… Everything became so… so fucked up! So… so we-…"

Killer Bee appeared beside Naruto, "Oi… now's not the time for chit-chat, you two."

Renji nodded his head, in complete agreement. "Yeah. I need to kill Madara."

Naruto spoke up, "Look… I don't know if I can believe you about being from the future, but don't let this rage take you over… My best-friend has-…"

"Gone insane over revenge?" Renji interrupted, "Yeah. I know. Sakura's told us about that – well… mainly to Toshiro, of course."

"Is Toshiro-…"

"The kid that Sakura's carrying? Yup." Renji then frowned, "I'm telling you too much now. Sasuke's probably gonna kick my ass… but whatever."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fine. Explain everything to me…" Naruto then grinned, "… when we win this war."

Renji nodded, a smile not falling onto his face. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Toshiro's vision was still blurry; everything felt different with the recent loss of most of his vision. But something was annoying him. Something was out of place. His heart… was in pain. He knew that something was wrong. "Okaa-san." The Uchiha heir muttered as he found strength to stand up, although he did sway quite a bit.

Sakura glanced over at her son, panting a little from the quick fight with Orochimaru. The snake had slipped out, probably to go and cause terror somewhere else. The rosette was exhausted; the Sharingan eye was taking a much larger toll than she had first expected. Sakura took a deep breath, "What is it?"

The Uchiha frowned, "Something's wrong."

Sakura froze; if she and her son were on the same wavelength, then something indeed was wrong. Whenever Sakura had felt that something was wrong or out of place, it indeed was. So, she trusted her son in this. "I'll heal your eyes. But I won't be able to go with you, okay? I'm nearly out of chakra."

Toshiro pondered about it for a moment before coming to a decision. "Hai. Arigatou." Toshiro then sat down like he has done many times before. Sakura crouched in front of him and softly ordered him to turn on the Sharingan. With much difficulty, Toshiro activated his kekkei genkai. Sakura gently began healing the damage from the overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Toshiro's vision then became clearer and clearer until it was crystal clear. Toshiro blinked his Sharingan off and gave a stiff nod to his mother, "Stay safe." And then he disappeared.

Sakura collapsed and coughed, "Shit…"

"Sakura?" a deep, baritone voice murmured.

The medic's heart stopped, "S-Sasuke-kun?" she whispered as she glanced at the man she loved.

He looked the same as he did twenty-four years ago, perhaps he did not age? Either way, she was relieved to see him again. He crouched down in front of her, onyx eyes showing regret and pain. "… I shouldn't have given you that." Sasuke muttered as he looked to her closed eyes which had a scar down the middle.

The rosette shook her head and gave him a weak smile, "Thanks to this, I have been able to help many people. Arigatou."

The Uchiha scowled, "But… it's hurting you, even now."

The medic rolled her visible eye, "Baka. I'm fine. I just overused it. I guess I'm a lot like Kakashi in that way, ne?"

Sasuke did not like that comment, "If you overuse your chakra like that, you could end up killing yourself. To heal Toshiro's eyes, you used your reserves and I'm positive you have no soldier pills on you, do you?"

Sakura scoffed out, "What's the point in those bastard things? They're fucking disgusting."

The Uchiha monarch closed his eyes for a moment, "Where's Hinata?"

The rosette thought about it for a moment, "Oh! She's headed to Konoha!"

Sasuke rose a brow, "Why?"

Sakura shrugged, "Dunno. Maybe she just wants to make sure that Orochimaru doesn't end up going there."

The Uchiha muttered something unintelligible and then said in a tone Sakura heard, "That Hyuuga is too headstrong…"

"And that's coming from you?" Sakura teased with a weak tone as she slumped. "Kami… I need to sleep…"

"Sleeping here wouldn't be best." Sasuke mumbled, "I can't watch over you in this form. I'm sure you know that."

Sakura nodded, but closed her eyes nonetheless and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

[_After 30 minutes_]

'_About time._' Toshiro thought to himself; he felt the chakra of multiple shinobi. It seemed that he had arrived there rather quickly. The Uchiha heir noted that Renji was in his kyuubi form, which surprised the Uchiha heir a little. Either way, he made his way onto the battlefield.

"It's Uchiha Sasuke!" a random shinobi at Toshiro's left screamed in horror. Obviously someone that has met Sasuke's blade before. Toshiro wanted to yell at them that he _was not _Sasuke Uchiha, but there was no point – nobody would believe him and it would be a bother.

The raven-haired shinobi made his way through the crowd of shinobi until he was at the front. He then caught sight of Renji. "Oi. Moron."

Renji turned his head and Toshiro swore that he saw a look of fear on his best-friend's face. Renji, using his speed, made his way to Toshiro so that they were facing head on. "… I thought you were with your father."

The Uchiha heir frowned, "Orochimaru is in this time. It'd be best that we're careful. It's good that we have Ami to help out with that though." Toshiro noticed the look of sorrow on his friend's whiskered face and it appeared the moment that the raven spoke of the red-haired kunoichi. "What's going on?"

The Uzumaki hesitated and thought about something for a moment, but then muttered, "… Don't ask. Onegai."

"Doushite?" Toshiro asked, tone now clipped and angry.

"She's…" Renji did not even need to finish.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please review.**

**Notes; **Well, all of your reviews made me feel better. Thanks :)  
Like usual, if I update Wednesday depends on reviews (then again, I'm getting shit loads compared to what I am used to... so...). Now, I'm not saying that you have to make fifty reviews; if there's a review that I like (or multiple), I'll update. Simples? Lol.  
Quick update; school's assessments are OVER. Meaning, I have free time *does some stupid dance*. So, I can get back on top of my chapters (I like... have two left... -.- ).  
And onto Ami, I'm sure some of you are PISSED. I'm SORRY. But I needed to have A character die; would ya'll have preferred Renji or Toshiro. Also, I didn't just go and choose Ami 'cause she's worse than Renji (which she's NOT. I really like her; more so than Renji ((and I REALLY like Renji)), so don't think it's that). And I couldn't exactly kill of Toshiro... could I? I mean... NEVERMIND.

**An interesting fact; **How I write depends on my mood as well as the music I listen to; there's generally less mistakes when I'm listening to _Sleeping with Sirens _or _Red _or _Pierce the Veil_... So yeah.


	9. Toshiro's Anger Quelled

_"Sakura."_

_"Sasuke-kun? Why… Why do you have a look on your face like that?"_

_"Sakura." The Uchiha pulled the rosette into his arms before placing his lips over hers in a ferocious kiss. The passion could be felt through her finger tips and toes. Her fingers weaved through his raven locks. _

_She mouthed his name against his lips as he gently moved his hands down to her waist. "Sasuke-kun…" _

_The Uchiha monarch then broke the kiss before moving his head over her shoulder and cupped her swollen stomach. "Name him Toshiro…"_

_"Huh?"_

_". . ." he moved back before pressing a kiss on her cheek. "I have to leave."_

_"W-Why!?" Sakura yelled as she stepped forwards, his back pressed against a wall as he watched her with liquid, onyx eyes._

_"… I have to protect you and Toshiro-chan." He whispered, his voice so hoarse._

_"What did you do…?" _

_"I made a deal."_

_"A deal?"_

_"… Orochimaru can't have his hands on you or our child, Sakura. It's the only thing I could do. I can't..." he choked out the next words, "… protect you... or him. I wasn't…"_

_She pressed her lips against his as tears fell down her delicate features. The Uchiha kissed her back, his lips gentle as if trying to tell her a message. _It was something he could _never _say. _"I – Sakura-…" he mumbled as he broke the kiss._

_"I love you."_

_"… I know."_

_"Be with me?"_

_". . ."_

_"Sasuke-kun…?"_

_"It's okay." He wiped away the tears that were still falling – he did not want to see her cry. He was the one who has caused her so much pain._

_"You…" she choked out, "Only just came back and now…"_

_"I know. I know…" he moved her so that it was _her _back that was behind the wall._

_"We were going to r-raise him together…" she sobbed quietly._

_"I know."_

_"… We've had more things taken from us, Sasuke-kun."_

_"… I know."_

_"Stop saying that. Please."_

_The Uchiha nodded and moved his head to suck at her neck, leaving behind love-bites and bruises. "Let me…"_

_"Please, make love to me…"_

_"I will."_

_His ran his fingers down her arms as he pinned them to the sides of the wall. His lips then descended against hers once more. Her familiar taste – it was sweet – he would miss. He never really liked sweet things, but this cherry blossom before him was that _one _thing he would do anything for. His fingers pulled a part her shirt which was too large for her, but it was more comfortable. He did not care. _

_"Sasuke-…" his lips brushed against her throat as his fingers worked their magic on her chest (she was wearing no bra). _

_"Shh… don't speak… just… feel… feel what I'm doing to you, Sakura…" he murmured as he played with her sensitive mounds. He moved his lips against hers, his tongue diving into her cavern to re-explore her like he has done so many times before._

_"Ngh…" she took his words to heart as she let out a soft, little moan._

_"Mine…" Sasuke muttered as his lips trailed kisses down her throat._

_"Oh…" the medic sighed as her fingers made their way back to his hair._

_He tweaked her sensitive nipples also moving his head down to her breasts to envelope one of her rosy nipples into his mouth. He sucked on her gently, like a newborn with his mother and also what his child would be doing in the future. "Sasuke-kun – _please_." _

_The Uchiha picked her up properly to pull her onto the bed (they were in their room). His body hovered over hers as his hips automatically grinded themselves into her. _

_"Don't – I'm already – just put it in…" she gasped out._

_The Uchiha's eyes widened; she… she wanted him to… He nodded his head, listening to her wishes. He slipped his own pants and boxers (along with her pants and panties) off. He moved a hand under her back to lift her up as he slipped his cock inside of her warm heat. They both gasped (growled in Sasuke's case) when they were joined. The Uchiha moved his head down to kiss her stomach before kissing up past the valley of her breasts and finally, to her lips._

_He stayed still as he kept on kissing her, waiting for her to tell him the magic words that would allow him to – "Move."_

_And he did what he was told._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_"When are you… leaving?" Sakura asked as Sasuke wrapped his arms around her, but they were still face to face. He moved his hand to the back of her head and moved her head so that it was touching his._

_"In five days."_

_"O-Only five?"_

_"Hn."_

_"… I'll name him Toshiro, Sasuke-kun."_

_"Arigatou."_

_"… I love you so much…"_

_"… I know."_

_With one more kiss, that was the last thing the two said to each other before falling into a deep slumber._

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 9 – Toshiro's Anger; Quelled**

* * *

Fury flashed through Toshiro's emerald eyes, "_Who_?" His tone sounded evil and hoarse, as if something else had taken over.

Renji's fear fell into his pearly orbs and he was scared as to what would happen if he did not answer, but he did not answer. ". . ."

"As much as I want to sit here and play these games with you, Renji… you better tell me who did it…" Toshiro hissed out.

The black-haired Uzumaki could not believe the change in his friend's persona – it was completely different now. It was… so frightening… "… Madara." Renji _had _to answer.

The darkness seemed to pool out of Toshiro as his gaze fell onto the undead Uchiha who was watching the scene with mild curiosity. "Another Uchiha, eh? But you have the same chakra as the one down there…" Toshiro knew that the elder Uchiha was talking about him and Renji.

"Shut up." Toshiro snapped, his eyes flooding into a dangerous blood red.

Madara let a chuckle hit his form, "Hah… you're amusing, kid. But you're not the one I want to take down." The elder Uchiha glanced down at Naruto, "He's more of a target then you. After all, we need the nine-tails to make the juubi powerful."

* * *

"My feet hurt…" Sakura complained as she followed on behind Sasuke; he did not seem to care all that much and really was only paying attention to the path ahead. The medic let out a huff of air and slowed her pace, "This is _so _annoying…"

Sasuke turned his head, "Stop complaining, onna."

The rose-haired medic let out, "Will you stop calling me 'onna'? I do have a name, you know?"

The onyx-eyed man grunted, "Hn." It seemed he did not really care.

The medic mumbled, "You're an asshole."

The Uchiha stopped, "You're the one who didn't want me to carry you."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Ever heard of a break?"

The monarch of the Uchiha rolled his eyes, "You're an idiot."

Sakura then slowly eased herself to the ground and sighed, "I'm a pregnant woman, Sasuke; I can't stress my body too much."

"You're just lazy." Sasuke drawled as he sat down, cross-legged, in front of her.

The rosette bit her lip, "You're a _mega _asshole."

Sasuke glanced to the side, "… Why would my future-self give up his life to Orochimaru?"

Sakura shrugged, "Dunno. I'm sure Toshiro-chan'll tell us when he wants to."

The Uchiha noticed, "Why're you calling him that?"

"What? The 'chan'?"

"Hn. He's technically not needed to be called that since he isn't even born yet in this time." The Uchiha stated.

The emerald-eyed woman closed her eyes and gently rubbed her stomach, "… I think I'll stick with the name 'Toshiro'; my future-self is good at names."

"Y-You two…"

A voice scared the living shit out of the two shinobi with Sasuke disappearing and reappearing in front of Sakura, ready to protect her. "Who is it?"

"G-Gomen…" a meek voice murmured.

The rose-haired medic instantly recognised it, "Hinata?"

The raven-haired woman appeared from the bushes; she basically looked the same, other than the fact she wore a more revealing sort of clothing. It matched her well and made her curves stand out extremely well. The Byakugan-user glanced at Sasuke, a little cautiously, before falling onto the rosette. "Are you o-okay?" she stuttered.

Sakura smiled softly; even after everything the raven-haired woman had been through, she still stuttered like she did when she was younger. "Yeah… good to see you, Hinata."

The female dojutsu-user nodded her head, "Hai. It's good to see you're fine. I did not expect you to leave the village."

Sakura tilted her head, "Huh?"

"Oh," Hinata twiddled her fingers, "See… Sakura-chan did not leave the village in my timeline, she moreover stayed there… She was rather protective of Toshiro-chan, even then."

The rosette felt a little insulted, "Are you saying I'm _not _protective of my baby?"

Hinata, realising her mistake, quickly apologized before murmuring, "It's not that… it's just that something in this time has obviously changed. Then again, Karin-chan stayed in the prison. I suppose it has something to do with Suigetsu."

"Suigetsu?" Sasuke muttered.

Sakura nodded her head, "Yeah. I guessed Suigetsu would have been the reason why Karin would have even bothered to leave."

The dark-haired avenger glanced at the other dojutsu-user, "What do you want?"

Hinata sighed, "I-I thought it'd be best to watch over you two, and it seems you know about Toshiro-chan."

The rosette bowed her head, "Hai."

Sasuke watched the rosette for a moment before allowing his kekkei genkai to activate, "Fuck off."

Emerald eyes widened, "N-Nani why-…"

"The reason why she's here is 'cause she doesn't trust me. That's all there is to it." Sasuke growled.

Hinata shook her head instantly, "I-Iie! It i-isn't that! I thought t-that it'd be b-best to make sure that nobody a-attacks you."

The Uchiha monarch looked _even more _angrier, "Are you saying I can't protect her?"

"I don't think she's-…" Sakura was interrupted.

"You haven't done a very good j-job with that n-now have you?"

"Nani?" Sasuke snarled.

Sakura was a little shocked by that, her eyes were wide and she stared at the Hyuuga with a gaping mouth. Never would have Sakura thought that she would have seen Hinata say something like that. Hinata's eyes narrowed, "S-Stop acting like a s-spoilt brat, Sasuke. A-At least be g-grateful that I'm even b-bothering to help you out."

The rose-haired kunoichi watched Hinata, "Mattaku… what's your deal?"

Now, Hinata's gaze fell onto Sakura, and to be honest… Sakura was a little scared from the serious look she was given by the raven-haired beauty. "… Everyone has lost so much, Sakura-chan. Especially our children; they have all lost their fathers in some sort of form. And t-this jackass…" Sakura's (and even Sasuke's) facial expressions changed to shock, "… is not helping. He is sending himself to his own death."

"Where's Toshiro-chan?" Sasuke muttered, "I thought you would have at least been watching over him."

Hinata shrugged her shoulders, "S-Something's happening at the b-battlefield and he's a part of it..."

Sasuke rose a brow, "He defeated my older-self?"

The Hyuuga shook her head, "I-Iie, I highly doubt it. If he did, he is much more powerful than I thought. O-Or anyone thought, t-to be honest. P-Plus, I think S-Sakura-chan h-helped out Toshiro…"

"She did?" Sasuke muttered, "… Is she fine?"

Sakura noted the look of worry crossing the Uchiha's face. Hinata nodded her head, "Sasuke's genjutsu form is watching o-over her."

"Genjutsu form? My future-self can do that?" Sasuke asked, a little confused and curious at the same.

Hinata nodded, "H-Hai… Sasuke from our time i-is able to do many things with his e-eyes."

The rosette frowned, "But… since it's a genjutsu… he can't really help her if she's attacked, can he?"

The Hyuuga nodded once more, "Y-Yes… It s-seems to be that w-way."

The Uchiha monarch looked annoyed and then looked in the general direction of where it was that he needed to go, "… We need to get going."

"What are you planning to do?" Hinata questioned.

The avenger watched Sakura for a moment, before nodding to himself. "I need to look at the Uchiha tablet."

The raven-haired beauty rose a brow, "D-Doushite?"

"… It's something I need to see, especially with… these eyes."

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was obviously confused by the way that he had said that.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan." Hinata said as she eyed Sasuke.

Sasuke then headed off, with the two kunoichi following behind him.

* * *

"_Chidori Nagashi_!" Lightning zapped around the raven-haired Uchiha. Madara chuckled, obviously from amusement, as the sparks hit his flesh. It tore off like paper and then recollected itself back onto his undead body. Toshiro dropped the _Chidori _as he glared over at the elder Uchiha. "How about letting yourself be sealed, asshole?"

Renji landed beside his teammate, "We're not going to be able to do anything against him when he's like this."

Toshiro snorted, "You think I don't know that already, moron?"

The black-haired Uzumaki glanced at the rest of the Alliance which were taking on Uchiha Obito. Renji had asked Naruto if both he and the Uchiha heir could take on the legendary shinobi. Naruto agreed, seeming to understand. "… Don't have to be such an ass."

The Uchiha heir's Mangekyou eyes narrowed as he identified Madara's body, trying to find any possible weaknesses which would allow both him and his teammate to take out the bastard, "... He doesn't seem to have _any _weaknesses."

Madara allowed a smirk to fall onto his crumbled face, "Only figuring that out now…? You aren't very skilled with the Sharingan. I think I might take it for myself, seeing as some of the abilities you have would be useful to me when I'm alive again."

Toshiro allowed rage to be reflected in his dangerous eyes, "No way in fucking hell."

The elder Uchiha allowed a cackle to wrack his frame. "My, my… what bad language, boy. I have an idea; what about the both of us join sides – we're both Uchiha."

The Uchiha heir disappeared and reappeared in front of Madara, "You're a disgrace to the Uchiha!" and punched him fair in the chest. Madara did not even flinch; his silver eyes watched in annoyance at the younger Uchiha. Toshiro, realizing his mistake, made himself intangible so that he could get away without being hurt, but Madara gripped at the raven-haired Uchiha's wrist; shocking Toshiro.

"Huh…" Madara smirked evilly at the younger Uchiha, "It seems the Rinnegan can beat your ability… how depressing…" and the Uchiha elder threw Toshiro to the ground, only to have Renji plant a _Rasengan _into the Uchiha elder's back. Madara, not expecting the attack, nearly collapsed but quickly regained his composure and bounded off to a safe distance.

The Uzumaki helped up his friend who looked to be a little dazed, but angry. The Byakugan-user allowed the kyuubi's chakra to fade. '**… I will do some more meditating to get back chakra, Renji. It won't be too long.**' Kurama's voice sounded in Renji's head; not noticeable to anyone else but him. "What happened to your Mangekyou's ability, Toshiro? This is the first time I've seen you get pulled down like that ever since you got the Mangekyou."

Toshiro shook his head, "It has something to do with the damn Rinnegan." His eyes then narrowed, "There has to be a way to disable it."

Renji sighed, "Who knows? I don't think anyone's been able to disable it, Toshiro."

The Uchiha heir let out a, "Hn." To show he acknowledged his teammate.

The black-haired Uzumaki groaned and rolled his shoulders, "Mattaku… to think a _Rasengan _didn't give him any damage…"

Madara indeed had received no damage whatsoever and was actually beginning to heal himself as the paper-like skin reattached itself to his back. There was a hole now where his clothing was, however. The Uchiha elder then cracked his neck and sighed, "Nice trick, boy… but it won't happen again."

"Tch…" Renji spat, "Bastard." He then looked to Toshiro who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, "… Hey, are all Uchihas like this?"

That comment received him a glare. Toshiro then dusted himself off, "This playing around is going to get us nowhere, Renji. Prepare your _Sage Mode_, I have an idea."

"Eh?" Renji created a _shadow clone _and silently ordered it to go and collect natural chakra.

Toshiro closed his eyes and thought about the anger he felt towards Madara; the elder Uchiha had killed someone _very _important to the young Uchiha. The heir's eyes creased and crinkled as he allowed dark chakra to flow out of him, it was slowly starting to flow into the shape of the _Susano'o_'s rib-cage. The orange-purple chakra burned like fire; at least, that was what it looked like. Blood seeped down from Toshiro's left eye, slowly running down his cheek and finally onto the earth below him. Reopening his eyes, it was evident to see that the _Susano'o _was taking a strain on Toshiro's eyes, but the young heir did not care. That much was obvious. His vengeance for Ami was all that mattered now.

Renji watched on with wide eyes, surprised by the random appearance of the _Susano'o_. '**He's losing light to his eyes, boy.**' Kurama's voice muttered.

'_… Really? Is it that bad already?_' the black-haired Uzumaki was then pulled into the space where the kyuubi was roaming inside of his mind.

The orange beast was in a meditative pose; he was collecting chakra. "… Will Toshiro go blind if he keeps this up?"

The kitsune nodded its head, "**Yes. It seems that his eyes are deteriorating… is his mother using a medical-ninjutsu of some sort to stop him from going blind? If so, he won't be able to always heal his eyes…**"

"Yeah… I think Sakura uses jutsu to heal up Toshiro's eyes every now and again when he uses the Mangekyou… But he's lasted pretty long with it, I mean… it's been eight years since he got it." Renji stated.

Kurama sat up straighter, his spine making cracking noises from not moving in a while as his tails swooshed around behind him, creating gentle sways. "**… His chakra is dark, even now. Is the death of Ami getting to him _this _much?**"

"I remember when Otou-san died and you were so angry for years…" Renji murmured, "And Toshiro was in love with her, I'm sure she would have been the one that could have pulled him from this darkness we're seeing now… but since she's gone…"

"**There's nothing holding Toshiro back from losing it completely, yes? It's… kind of sad…**" Kurama had become more kind over the years and often worried about other people besides his jinchuuriki. The fox demon had learned to trust Naruto, and now he trusts Renji too. Alongside with Toshiro. Toshiro was able to enter this place where Renji and Kurama talked thanks to the training of his Sharingan. "**Is there any other way to stop him from going on a complete rampage?**"

Renji shook his head, "Iie. I don't think so… unless we knock him out, but to be honest… he's useful to us now."

"**Yes. He is. Why did he want you to create a _shadow clone_, boy?**" the demon asked.

The Uzumaki shrugged, "Dunno. I've gotta go back now, Kurama. Keep on gettin' chakra for us, yeah?" and with that, Renji reappeared in the real world with his _shadow clone _(who was now in _Sage Mode_) standing right beside him. "_Release_." The Uzumaki uttered as smoke appeared, signifying the _shadow clone _being released. Markings appeared around Renji's eyes, orange ones. And his eyes became a glowing gold. "Oi! Toshiro! Whatcha want me to do?"

"Throw _Rasenshuriken _at me." Toshiro ordered as the _Susano'o _stayed in its ribcage form rather than becoming a realistic chakra deity.

The Uzumaki rose a brow, "Eh? Have you fucking gone off your nutter or somethin'?!"

The Uchiha did not look impressed and growled out, "I will fucking rip out your tongue and shove it up your ass if you don't do what you're told."

Now, Renji was absolutely terrified (in a mocking sense, of course). "Oh! So scary!" But the Uzumaki did what he was told, because deep down… he was scared as to what Toshiro might do to him if he _did not _do what he was ordered. Of course, that more than likely would not involve his tongue being ripped out and shoved up his ass. … Hopefully. Summoning another _shadow clone_, Renji began creating his father's signature jutsu which was handed down to Renji at the age of sixteen. … Right before Naruto died. Soon, the _shadow clone _dispersed and Renji threw the _Rasenshuriken _to Toshiro.

The Uchiha used his Sharingan to slow down the spinning of the _Rasenshuriken _(at least for his eyes to see only), and jumped upwards so he was right above it. Blood seeped down from his eyes once more as black flames coated the wind style jutsu easily, but not to the point of stopping it. '_Now, I can control it that thanks to the flames of **Amaterasu**._' When the _Rasenshuriken _passed under Toshiro, he allowed his body to fall before allowing his eyes to dart to the flames, instantly making the wind style his to control. The shuriken followed every dart of Toshiro's eyes. The Uchiha's eyes then fell onto the elder Uchiha who was watching the scene with a little confusion. The black flames flowed and then fell onto the wind style's blades, making them black. The _Amaterasu _and _Rasenshuriken _formed even better than Toshiro had expected.

And then crash! The jutsu landed its hit against Madara, thanks to Toshiro and Renji's ninjutsu.

* * *

"We're nearly there." Karin murmured as she lead Suigetsu and herself towards where the battlefield was.

The shark nodded his head and closed his eyes, clearly not happy with having to follow the onna around. "… How long do you mean by 'we're nearly there'?"

"Eh… maybe five or eight minutes?" the Uzumaki murmured as she glanced over her shoulder cautiously. She still did not trust the man she loved; he could still betray her any minute. And she did not want to end up dead or knocked out. That would be a bother to her. And it does not help since the beady-eyed Hozuki has knocked her out before.

Suigetsu stretched his arms, "Reckon those guys are powning the battlefield?"

"Pown? Seriously?" Karin muttered, "You're a baka."

The purple-eyed man rolled his eyes, seriously not amused. … Okay, maybe a little. "Whatever, Karin-chan."

She stiffened ahead of him; she was still not comfortable with him using that suffix. Suigetsu caught up the redette and then unexpectedly slammed her up against the closest tree. The red-haired onna let out a gasp as fear became evident in her crimson eyes. The shark watched her with an annoyed look, "Are you scared of me or something?"

She shook her head instantly, "N-No."

Suigetsu did not believe her, "Oh really? Where's _my _fiery Karin-chan gone, huh?"

Karin bit down on her lower lip, the scar tissue against her lips glinting against the light amount of sunlight. Suigetsu noticed and dragged one hand up to trace the scar against her lips and she shivered beneath his touch. "No – don't-…"

"Hush." Suigetsu mumbled as he gently traced the scar. His eyes shone with regret, "I did that… ne?"

The redette nodded her head, "H-Hai!" she squeaked, nervously.

His hand (which was not keeping her from escaping) trailed to her legs, he pulled at the material and tore the fishnetting. She wore short shorts (like usual), but wore fishnets to cover her legs and arms. Karin let out a squeak, scared at what Suigetsu was planning to do. He could not… he could not be thinking of-? He traced a rather large sore which was only beginning to turn into a scar, another one of his own doing. "How many?"

Karin already knew what it was that the shark was asking, "S-Seventeen…"

The purple-eyed missing-nin frowned, "Seventeen, huh?"

The red-haired kunoichi bit down on her lip, ". . ." she did not know what she could say to him – she was scared of what he might do to her at this point of time.

Her tore the fishnetting from her other leg and looked at the scars, many of them being straight, and then moved to her arms which were covered in the same material, like the rest of it, he tore it off without remorse and counted each and every scar. Karin stayed still, too nervous to move. But her eyes were on him as he got up close and personal to each of the wounds that were inflicted by him. The shark then did something that she did not expect – he placed his lips against a moon shaped scar and kissed it gently with a closed mouth.

Air hitched in Karin's throat as she watched him kiss each of her scars, as if to apologize for what he had done. He then moved to her neck before biting down with his sharp teeth, allowing a mark to be made. She screamed out, loudly. He licked his lips clean to make sure that the blood was not there before moving to her lips and taking them in his. "_Mine_." He mouthed against her before glancing at the bite mark he had created. He moved his head back down and licked up the blood.

"Th-The hell!?" Karin screamed as Suigetsu pushed himself away from her and allowed the red-haired woman to stand on her own two feet. Her red eyes were wide; her face was flushed; her heart was beating fast; and now, she felt as if she was violated in some way. Why had Suigetsu bitten her _anyways_? What was the point of that?

Suigetsu gave her a toothy grin, "An explanation'll take too long. Let's just go, ne? We're nearly there; like you said…"

Karin was about to say something, but she stopped when she felt a dark chakra. Her eyes snapped in the direction of where she sensed it. "T-Toshiro…"

"Eh? What's up?" Suigetsu mumbled, eyeing her suspiciously.

"His chakra… fuck, it reminds me of when Sasuke first used the _Susano'o_." The red-haired onna murmured as she then headed off in that direction, with the shark following on her heels. He wanted to know Toshiro's abilities, and he also wanted to see his daughter again.

Like Karin said, they arrived within five minutes. Suigetsu watched as the young Uchiha heir tossed his chakra deity's sword in Madara's general direction. Karin bit her lip and allowed a shiver to wrack her body, "… T-Toshiro can only do this when h-he's angry…" she said with a stutter.

"And? That's so bad because?"

"It's… only happened once."

"When?"

"When Orochimaru killed Naruto."

"N-Nani!?"

The red-haired Uzumaki could not feel her daughter at all, it was as if her chakra had disappeared off of the face of the earth. This made the beautiful kunoichi worried. Her eyes showed her fear of the fact that her daughter may have been gone. "I – We – Suigetsu!"

Suigetsu's eyes snapped to the red-haired onna, "What's up?"

"Something's… wrong! We need to get down there!" And with that, she ran off at a fast pace towards Toshiro.

Suigetsu quickly followed after her and grabbed her wrist to stop her from going closer. She screamed against him, telling him to let her go. He ignored her and swiftly hit a pressure point in the back of her neck, allowing her to slump in his arms. He sighed. "Hey! Medical-nin needed here!" the shark called out.

A blue-haired kunoichi came to Suigetsu's side, "What's wrong with her?"

The beady-eyed rogue-nin muttered, "… She fainted; something happened to her. Can you make sure she doesn't leave here?"

The blue-haired medical-nin nodded her head as she got to work on Karin while Suigetsu headed off into Toshiro's direction to talk to the Uchiha heir.

* * *

Black flames licked at Madara's feet as the edo-tensei jumped upwards before extinguishing them, "Damn…" The Rinnegan-user allowed a smirk to fall onto his scarred face, "Impressive…"

Toshiro panted as he covered his eyes that was bleeding, "Renji… I need to rest for a moment…" The _Susano'o _faded away, signifying the Uchiha heir's depletion of chakra. He was nearly out.

"Good timing, baka." Renji muttered as he twisted the seal on his stomach, allowing the golden chakra to cover his body once more.

The Rinnegan-user looked annoyed, "Is this some sort of tag-team? What happened to the _Amaterasu/Rasenshuriken _combination, huh?"

The Uzumaki cracked his knuckles, "I wouldn't need the asshole's help to kick your ass – he's not the only one pissed at you for killing Ami."

"Oh? So that's what this is all about, huh?" he then chuckled, as if amused, "… That's rather, noble. But isn't vengeance an Uchiha's emotion?"

The Hyuuga heir charged at Madara and swung a fist at him, "Y'know, the Hyuuga are distantly related to the Uchiha… so guess what? That hatred could've been passed onto me!" The punch would have shattered boulders, but Madara merely caught the Uzumaki's wrist and smirked at him.

"Instead of going for Naruto, we could go for the tailed beast inside of you…" Madara muttered, his eyes widening in amusement.

"Eh… bullshit." Renji said as he kicked the Uchiha's knee, creating a sickening crack of bones being broken.

"Tch… that hurt, kid." Madara spat, tossing away the Uzumaki. He glanced down at his leg which had bones sticking out from where his knee was. The bones then reformed, making the Uchiha's knee whole once more. "Too bad I heal."

* * *

Toshiro crouched down and allowed his Mangekyou to simmer back into his green hue. The green was darker, however. As if something was taking over. His eyes narrowed as he heaved out a curse. "Suigetsu…" he muttered as he turned his head to his girl-friend's father.

The white-haired shinobi was standing behind the Uchiha, "Is it true? Is she really…" it was as if he could not say the words himself.

The Uchiha heir frowned, "… Yes."

Suigetsu looked hurt for a moment before he allowed his head to drop for a moment. "… Shit…"

"Why are you here?" Toshiro asked. His eyes then narrowed, "Does it have something to do with Orochimaru?"

The white-haired nin shook his head almost instantly, as if he did not need to think about it. "No way in hell… I know of Sasuke's plan with everything, so yeah. And… Ami was close to you, wasn't she?"

The Uchiha heir turned his head, "Fuck off. How can I know that-…?"

"He's helping me, Toshiro." Sasuke's hoarse voice muttered.

"How many of these genjutsus hang around, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke ignored him, "… Don't worry about him, I'm sure that he's as angry about Ami as you are."

Toshiro snorted, "Bullshit."

The white-haired nin looked annoyed, "Fuck off, brat. You wouldn't know how I feel about it."

A sigh came from Sasuke's direction as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Cut it out, you two."

The Uchiha heir rolled his eyes, "… Whatever."

Future Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, "… Don't lose yourself to the hatred, boy. It isn't worth it."

Toshiro knew it was directed at him, but the Uchiha heir arrogantly turned his head to show that he indeed was not paying attention or taking heed to his father's words. Suigetsu watched Sasuke, "Let me guess, this all has something to do with the curse of hatred within the Uchiha?"

"Hn. Seems that Toshiro's gained it as well…" Sasuke muttered, "I know you cared about her, Toshiro, but she wouldn't want you to lose yourself to the hate… I know Sakura got to the point where she wanted me dead because of it."

"Yeah? But last time I checked, Okaa-san's still _alive_ – Ami's _not_." Toshiro snapped, clearly not liking what his father was saying.

"… Tch. But I hurt Sakura more than anyone else did; I left her with-child, I tried to kill her on numerous occasions, I basically destroyed her left eye and lastly, she raised you _alone_."

". . ."

Suigetsu sighed, "Guys. We have a war to win. Get with this father-son shit later… I need to go and avenge my daughter before Karin-chan wakes up."

Sasuke nodded his head and disappeared from view.

Toshiro did not want to listen to his father's warning, but he really had no choice; Sasuke was an Uchiha who had _been _through the road of hatred. The Uchiha heir took a deep breath and allowed his mind to become clear, making his objective that much clearer.

But then something seemed to affect him; his chakra… faded and disappeared; to the point of making him collapse.

* * *

The Uchiha noticed that Sakura's pace was becoming slow and her breathing pattern had changed. '_What's-…_' She then fell to the ground – well, Sasuke caught her before that happened. "The hell's happening?" Sasuke barked as he glared over at the older Hinata who gently placed her hand against Sakura's body, allowing a gentle green to illuminate the darkness which was starting to take over the shrub land thanks to the sun beginning to fall.

"… Impossible; how come we're _not _affected by it?" the Hyuuga murmured.

"It might have something to do with the chakra being eaten by the toxin in her veins; however, this can _only _be felt by women carrying children… How… helpful, seeing as Sakura's in that state now, hn?"

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please** **review.  
Updates on Wednesday depends on reviews; quite a few reviews or a review I like will get you this chapter. And no, I'm not holding this story under hostage.  
Expect updates each Friday.**


	10. A Hero's Return

**Content this chapter may be a bit disturbing.**

* * *

_"Okay," Iruka began as he watched down the entire class, "The teams will be these…"_

_Uchiha Toshiro zoned out after that, he pressed his head against the cool desk and tuned out his sensei's words. He really did not care whose team he would end up on; they would hate him anyways. Everyone did. Well, save for Renji. If Toshiro ended up on the same team as Renji (which is **not **very likely) things would be easier for the thirteen-year-old Uchiha. He was rather young for his age to graduate from the academy, but Renji was even younger – he was twelve. _

_"Team 14 will be," for whatever reason, that number woke Toshiro up and he watched his teacher with calm, emerald eyes. "Hozuki Ami," the raven-haired Uchiha frowned, "Uzumaki Renji," Toshiro heard a squeal of excitement from beside him, "And…" Iruka's eyes widened as he re-read the page, maybe three times. "Uchiha Toshiro?" _

_Toshiro allowed a smirk to fall onto his features while Renji roared his delight from beside him. "We're on the same team, asshole!" he screeched._

_The Uchiha heir did not glare at the moron over that comment, since he was as happy as he was. "Hn." He grunted, he was pleased with himself._

_But with Ami - he gazed over at the red-haired girl that was sitting in front of him – he was not too sure of her. Sure, they knew each other since both Karin and Sakura got along rather well, but they never **actually **talked other than the very, very few greetings they would share. Toshiro knew that this girl would somewhat understand him – due to the fact that both of their fathers had betrayed the Hidden Leaf village (in Sasuke's case, it was twice). _

_Renji waved his hand in front of his friend's face, "Oi. Asshole. **Look at me**!"_

_Toshiro shook his head and looked to the black-haired Uzumaki, "Hn?"_

_The Hokage's son cracked his knuckles, "Now… we can finally see who's better once and for all!"_

_Toshiro blinked – once, twice, thrice. "Are you **serious**?"_

_Renji nodded his head enthusiastically, "Yupity, yup-yup!" _

_The Uchiha heir sweat-dropped, "We already know who's going to win, anyways." He allowed a sly smirk to fall onto his aristocratic features._

_The Uzumaki watched Toshiro blankly for a moment before registering what he had said, "**Fuck you**!" he yelled rather loudly._

_Iruka shot a glare in the Hyuuga heir's direction, "I don't need that type of language in my class."_

_"Iruka." Toshiro muttered, catching the brown-haired man's attention, "Who's our teacher?"_

_The man with the scar on his nose looked down at the sheet of paper once more, "Uh… you have Yamanaka Ino as your teacher."_

_Toshiro allowed his jaw to gape, "Are you for real? She's not a good-…"_

_"Excuse me, Toshiro Uchiha!" _

_The young Uchiha gulped, realizing what he had said. In came his blonde teacher with her hair hanging down her back. Her baby blue eyes were furious and she had an anger mark on her forehead. "Care to continue?"_

_"Yeah. I would, but you interrupted me." Toshiro said dryly._

_"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" she raised her fist in mock anger._

_Ino and Toshiro had this type of banter quite a bit; it was rather amusing for anyone to watch. Ami sighed and rolled her purple eyes at the scene, "This… is really childish."_

_Toshiro shot her a quick glare, "Tch." His eyes then went back to the blonde, "How are you gonna make me pay, Ino?" a smirk fell onto his face again, a very arrogant one as well._

_Ami muttered a curse under her breath, "Bastard."_

_Toshiro caught it, however. "Say that again."_

_Renji's eyes widened, "Oh… shit."_

_The red-haired girl's eyes widened – she could not believe that he had heard her. ". . ."_

_The Uchiha heir stood up before leaping onto her table so that they were face to face, "… Say it."_

_Ami looked down, "… Bastard."_

_He gripped her chin roughly and made her look him in the eye, "If you think that saying that to me will affect me, then you're wrong."_

_Everyone in the class was going crazy. "Oh. My. Gosh." One girl screamed. Another girl yelled out, "The two traitor's kids are together!"_

_But the boys were saying other things, "They're fighting!" "Oh god! Looks like we've got the traitors fightin' against each-other!"_

_Sharingan against crimson eyes, "… Shut up." Ami murmured lowly, "How the fuck-…"_

_Iruka grabbed the Uchiha heir by the high collar of his shirt and pulled him back. Toshiro, well, disappeared in black smoke, shocking many of the other genin. He reappeared at the front of the class with his arms crossed over his chest. "Oi… all of you, shut the hell up."_

_Everyone became quiet, even Iruka._

_"You're a bunch of idiots – calling us traitors. What the hell have we done to you, huh?"_

_Renji moved to the front of the class as well._

_"You guys should shut your mouths. What do you know?" the Hokage's son said with venom coating his tone._

_Toshiro nodded in thanks to his friend, "You find it amusing that our fathers have disappeared, hn? Well, you haven't been put through that."_

_"Well you're the Uchiha's bastard!" one male classmate yelled._

_Toshiro allowed his kekkei genkai to activate as he glared over at the idiotic classmate of his, "Yes, I am an Uchiha. But that doesn't give you **any **right to address me as a bastard."_

_Ami's eyes widened – he was-, she spoke up and turned around. "You damn idiots don't know what you're talking about!"_

_"Great… just what we need, another traitor who's out line!"_

_The Hozuki glared at the chick who decided to say that, "Still onto calling us traitors, huh? Did **we **ever do anything to **you**? Nope. Nothing. You're just listening to your damn-…"_

_"Enough!" Iruka hollered, having enough of this banter. "Toshiro, Ami, Renji… I'll be seeing you later, the rest of the class… you're staying!"_

_Ino glanced at her team and nodded her head, beckoning for them to go over to her. The three of them headed over and left the room._

_The purple-wearing woman glanced over at her team, "I'm kind of glad that **I **have you as my students. I mean, if someone else took you…" she shook her head, hating the thought. "I'm glad that you guys all helped each-other – it's teamwork; something I want to see in my first genin team."_

_Toshiro's eyes widened, "Hn?"_

_Ino smiled softly, "I **was **going to give you Kakashi-sempai's bell test, but… I think you've proved yourselves already."_

_Renji grinned, "Aw yeah!"_

_Ami smiled softly._

_Toshiro smirked, "Hn."_

___The purple-wearing woman sighed, "Well… you're all dismissed."_  


* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 10 – A Hero's Return**

* * *

"What?" Sasuke snapped as he cradled the passed out and sweating rosette in his arms.

"See," the same voice hissed, "This type of… toxin will eventually suck her dry of her chakra; effectively killing both the child _and _her. Hm… I think it's fair enough, seeing as how much both her son and her older self has fucked up with my plans, ne?"

Hinata lunged at the voice, "D-Dammit!" a _shadow clone _appeared beside her with a _Rasengan _formed in her hands before she slammed it into the unknown man's chest.

The man let out a snarl as he fell down with a rather loud 'thud'. "Fuck!" the man hissed as he sat up.

"Orochimaru." Hinata murmured as she gracefully landed by Sasuke who was still holding the pregnant rosette.

The snake laughed, "My, my, my… I didn't think to find you, Hinata-chan… Too bad Naruto's not here anymore, ne? I'm sure _he _would have been the one to defeat me. But even he was too _weak _for him to beat me."

The raven-haired beauty let out a curse, "You! Shut the hell up!" her voice was uncharacteristically loud, "H-How can you say he was weak!? He didn't t-take over someone else's body, asshole!"

Sakura moaned and then let out a pant, "S-Sasuke-kun… onegai, make it s-stop…" she breathed.

The Uchiha's test constricted painfully, "Shh… it'll be fine soon, I promise." He whispered back as he nuzzled her head before ghosting his lips over her forehead.

She opened one eye, "S-Sasuke…"

The Hyuuga glanced over at the pair and nodded her head, "I'm not going to allow you to hurt them…"

Orochimaru laughed, his fangs then biting down on his lips. "Pathetic. You think a _little _kunoichi _like you_ can beat _me_ – one with the powers of the Uchiha clan?"

Hinata smirked, "You're… You're _nothing _compared to the Uchiha clan –" the raven-haired woman quickly glanced at Sasuke and Sakura, "- Take her somewhere safe, Sasuke. Not Konoha."

The Uchiha nodded his head straight away. He then disappeared in flames, taking the pregnant woman with him. The Hyuuga's eyes fell back onto the snake who watched the entire thing with annoyed eyes. "Now," the sannin murmured, "… you have taken my prey away from me. You're going to pay for it…"

* * *

Sasuke reappeared near a river; he gently set the rosette down and made sure that his chakra was well hidden. He had placed her underneath some trees so she was at least protected from some of the weather. "… Sakura?"

The rosette was not responding and her breathing was shallow and sounded unwell. He crouched down before her and wiped her hair away; it was already starting to get sticky from the amount of sweat pouring out of her. The Uchiha zipped his shirt undone and took it off before tearing some of the material from the sleeves (he put that beside him) and then he made into a make-shift pillow. The monarch then laid the rosette's head against it.

The Uchiha took the piece of cloth he tore from his dark grey shirt and went to the river to dip it in. The water was nice and cool; exactly what he needed. He realized he would need to get Sakura to take a sip of water later, or she would dehydrate. The Uchiha monarch moved back to Sakura; she seemed to be having a nightmare of some sort. He gently folded the fabric and placed it over her forehead; Sakura let out a moan (which kind of made Sasuke blush) when it made contact. Her eyes scrunched up for a moment before relaxing. She then gasped. Okay, so she might _not _be having a nightmare. "_Oh_… there…" she moaned.

'_S-She's having _those _type of dreams? _Now_?!'_ Sasuke thought to himself, shaking his head.

After a few moments, she quietened down a little. The Uchiha monarch groaned, "How…" he mumbled to himself, "... _annoying_." Now, he was saying that about this _entire _situation. He kind of needed to go to Konoha, but he would not leave Sakura on her own (no way in hell!). The only other option would be to carry the pregnant woman, but that would _not _be wise; he did not know much about poisons, but one thing he knew was that if he moved her, the poison could spread deeper and deeper into her blood stream. That would more than likely end up with her… _dead_.

* * *

Renji quickly grabbed Toshiro's body and moved away from Madara's attack. The elder Uchiha let a laugh escape his mouth, "_Weak_. I was hoping to get _some sort _of a fight from you two, but your teammate's completely _hopeless_."

The black-haired Uzumaki ignored the other Uchiha's taunts, and looked down to his friend. Renji noticed that the Uchiha's skin had paled considerably and that there was sweat forming on his face. Blood was also beginning to seep down from his eyes, as if the kekkei genkai was destroying itself. Sure, Renji had seen Toshiro's eyes bleed before, but it was also from _one_ eye. That was why Renji was as worried as he was. Something was _terribly _wrong.

A medic appeared beside the two shinobi. He wore a white hitai-ate and had spiky, dark green hair. "Need my help?" he asked.

Renji glanced up at him, "You're too close to the front-lines, medic."

The medic smiled, "Yes, but I'm not going to allow someone who can be saved… die."

The black-haired Uzumaki mumbled, "Do anything, I'll _kill _you. Got it?"

The green-haired man nodded his head and then began his work on the Uchiha, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Renji noticed that this nin was from the Hidden Leaf too, so he was sure that the medic had figured out that Toshiro was an Uchiha. The white hitai-ate wearer pulled his hands away, his brows creasing, "I can't fix this."

The jinchuuriki looked at the man, baffled. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

The medic shook his head, "I'm _not_."

Some shinobi jumped forwards to attack Madara, most of them glancing at the passed-out Uchiha with a little shock before brushing it off to defeat their enemy. Renji spoke up, "What is it, then?"

"Poison." The medic answered smoothly as he pushed more of his green chakra into Toshiro's chest, making the heir twitch from the feeling. "It's… like it's from an outside source; like he himself wasn't administered with the poison."

The Hyuuga heir scowled, "Fuck…"

The medic then muttered, "I can't believe you're working with Uchiha Sasuke, though. Haven't you heard what he's done? He was the one who basically started this war; alongside Uchiha Obito."

Renji's brows furrowed, "… He isn't Sasuke."

The green-haired nin rose an eyebrow, "How so? Sasuke and those two Uchihas are the only ones left. There is no way that there is another."

The Byakugan-user looked a little annoyed, "… I am _not _explaining this. Now _fuck off _if you _can't help_."

The medic gulped and headed back off, probably to go and gossip or help other shinobi. Renji glanced down and noticed more and more blood was leaking down, unchecked from his closed eyelids. "Shit…" the Uzumaki cursed and then picked up Toshiro before slinking away into the crowd of the alliance.

* * *

"S-Sakura?" the genjutsu Sasuke hissed as Sakura cried out; the Sharingan eye in her left eye socket was… rejecting her. Blood spurted out as she croaked out obscenities. Even though this Sasuke was in a genjutsu form, he could tell that the rose-haired woman's chakra was wavering and was close to… disappearing altogether. "Fuck!" he growled.

The medic opened one emerald eye, which showed that she was in pain. "S-Sasuke-kun… ch-check on my y-younger self; it h-has something to d-do with her…"

The monarch shook his head furiously. "_No way in hell _am I leaving you here _alone _with Orochimaru slithering about like he is!"

The poisoned medic glared, "… It doesn't matter…"

"Why don't you…"

"F-For once… just l-listen to me…"

Sasuke instantly shook his head, "No!"

"_Please_! I-I don't want to lose Toshiro… If he dies, it's because you're too busy f-fretting over me! Now move you fucking s-stubborn Uchiha!"

The Uchiha monarch finally did what he was told as he disappeared from sight.

The rosette then let out a much needed cry of pain, "_Fuck_."

* * *

"I need to start a fire, Sakura." Sasuke muttered to her awoken form; she was watching him weakly with her tearful eyes. It was obvious that she was in a lot of pain.

She nodded her head, "Just… Just don-don't leave me here… onegai!"

Sasuke felt a little hurt by that, but nodded his head nonetheless. He placed the poisoned woman under a very strong genjutsu (that was created with the Mangekyou). He headed off into the scrubs to find some wood. Luckily, he had lots of wood that he could collect; he picked up some and lifted it onto his shoulders. He went back and forth for a while before returning to Sakura. He undid the jutsu and she sighed in relief to see him there. "I need to start the fire. Are you cold or hot?"

"C-Cold…" she stuttered and moved the cloth on her head out of the way. Her body had begun to shiver as Sasuke quickly created the fire. He reached for her and gathered the rose-haired woman in his arms. His body created a cage to protect her from both the cold and from the outside world. "C-Can you still s-sense the baby?"

The Uchiha activated his Mangekyou and looked through her form to see a tiny chakra flickering; that was _not _good. "He's… fighting like you are…"

"I'm sc-scared…" the rose-haired woman stuttered.

The Uchiha nuzzled her head and breathed in her familiar scent, "Hn." (_I am too._)

Her eyes closed and she allowed tears to fall, "I… I don't w-want to die and l-lose Toshiro… If I-I do… it's a-all my f-fault…"

"No… I should have paid better attention to our surroundings." Sasuke muttered. It was true; he felt that this was his fault because he was not paying attention. He was only fighting with the raven-haired Hyuuga. Speaking of which, he wonders if she is alright.

* * *

The world was red and black; _Tsukiyomi_. Hinata looked around and tried to find a way to _get out_, but that was virtually impossible because of this jutsu being done from the Mangekyou Sharingan. Her wrists were bound and she was pressed against a wooden wall with more ropes tied around her waist and legs. Orochimaru smirked sickly from in front of her, "You know… since Sakura-chan is more than likely going to die, I'll need another to fulfil this body's needs…" The snake murmured as he licked her ear with his much too long tongue, causing the raven-haired beauty to shiver and try to move away. "I'm guessing you haven't been with another ever since Naruto-kun was murdered… by _me_."

"Shut up…" Hinata whispered lowly.

Orochimaru let a giggle escape his throat, "Too bad this body only wants Sakura-chan though…" he sighed, "I've tried_ so many_ times with _other _women, and they don't cut it… Most of the time, Sasuke-kun's dick is still hard."

The Hyuuga felt as if she was sick, ". . ." But did not say anything.

"Ehe…" he then smirked, "But I rather women who are virgins… Now, they're _fun_."

The raven-haired woman spat in his face, but he dodged it – well, used that genjutsu to make sure he was not hit by her saliva. "My, my… you _have _indeed become so… _violent_."

"Fuck off!" Hinata snarled, her eyes glinting with obvious anger.

"And you've gained a mouth on you too… Oh well, too bad I'll rip your mouth off of you for that one…" Orochimaru sighed in mockery. He then stabbed a kunai (which had appeared out of nowhere) into her stomach. She screamed. "Pain… it's a wonderful thing, ain't it? When you're having sex, or rather… _fucking_, that so-called 'pleasure' is merely the feeling of pain. I mean, a woman has to have something inserted into her… stretching her and everything, oh… it's horrible. I don't know why women even _allow _it. Pfft, let me guess… it feels 'nice' being connected to someone you love. Sorry sweetheart, but love is a mere chemical reaction inside of your head. Trust me, I have seen into _many _brains." Orochimaru's fingers traced her chin as he moved another kunai (which again, appeared out of nowhere) close to her inner thighs.

"Where did-…"

"Your clothes go? You see, this is my world… and now… you're bare to me." Indeed, Hinata was. Her whole body was there for the bastard of a man to see, and she could not do anything about it. He traced the kunai over her skin, without cutting into it. "Now where should I put this…? Should I put it somewhere it shouldn't belong…?"

"No – Onegai!"

He moved the silver weapon closer to her sex; the woman squirmed and begged him not to do it. She has seen this before in some of his victims; he would rape them with the kunai, enjoying the look of pain on their faces. One victim was left alive, and her sex was torn to pieces, leaving her in a state where she could not even have sex anymore. So, children were out of the question for her. "Nah…" he muttered and sliced into her snow white flesh, creating a crimson smear. It looked like blood on snow. The raven-haired woman bit her lip, trying not to scream out in the extreme pain she was feeling.

"R-Renji…" she heaved, "Naruto-kun…" The two people she cared about most… She wanted Naruto to save her from this atrocious man, but knew there was no hope for that. Naruto was… was _gone_.

Orochimaru slapped her and then hissed to her, "Don't… _ever_ say that man's name." He then smirked, "It was fun… putting my hand through his chest… feeling everything there, the squelch of his organs against my hand. Heh… Maybe it would be fitting for you to have the same death-…"

That world then faded away; Orochimaru was no longer close to the raven-haired woman. Actually, he was flung against a tree. Hinata only had a moment to notice this, but then was hoisted up by… someone. She closed her eyes; her body was exhausted, and she felt the pain (it was raw in her mind) of being cut and talked to like that. "Hinata-chan…" that was the last thing she heard before she passed out.

* * *

_"Sasuke…" a coated shinobi murmured, his voice was strained, "I have done what you've asked."_

_The said Uchiha appeared in front of the covered shinobi, "… Did Toshiro gain his-…"_

_The man nodded his head, "Yeah…"_

_Sasuke laid a hand onto his comrade's shoulder, "Gomen. But it's the only way."_

_The hooded figure smiled sadly underneath his mask, "I know. But I have to disappear…"_

_The Uchiha nodded, "Not forever though. You're a part of this, too."_

_The hooded man undid his hood, showing off his clear blue eyes and golden hair. "Yeah, teme. Good luck with your side of things."_

_"I'll come and get you when I send whoever I'm sending to the future, got it?"_

_The supposedly dead kage nodded his head, "Yeah."_

_Sasuke disappeared with a wave of his hand, "Later, Naruto."  
_

* * *

The blond laid the raven-haired woman down on a branch and stretched his limbs, "Shit. She's passed out…" the kage cursed and then pressed his lips against her forehead in a sign of affection. He then lifted her up once more and headed in the direction of where he felt both Sasuke's and Sakura's chakras. He smirked to himself; he already knew the antidote of Orochimaru's poison, and to top it off, he was carrying it in his hands. … Well, pockets.

When he arrived to where he felt the Uchiha monarch of this time, he slowly made his way out of the bushes (he put Hinata down, earlier). Almost instantly, the Uzumaki was attacked by shadowy black flames. "Nice." Naruto muttered as he moved out of the way by the never ceasing flames.

"… Naruto?" a hoarse voice mumbled.

The Uzumaki nodded, "Yeah. Nice to see you too, Sasuke."

The Uchiha was still sitting with Sakura bundled in his arms; he was planning on only fighting with his eyes. The Uchiha's Sharingan allowed Sasuke to know that this was _indeed _future Naruto. The blond turned around and watched as the flames dissipated. He then went to pick up Hinata. Moving over to the makeshift camp Sasuke had made, he laid Hinata down in front of the flames to keep her warm. The Uchiha's raven eyebrows knit together, "You're meant to be dead."

"That's rude." Naruto scoffed and then looked down at Hinata, "You can… make Hinata wake up quicker, can you? Orochimaru did this to her."

The raven-haired Uchiha shook his head, "She's not in the genjutsu; she's recovering from the ordeal of it all."

The blond nodded, "Alright. I'll hold you to that one."

Silence enveloped the two. But for once, Sasuke spoke up first. "Where's Orochimaru?"

The kage shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno. Don't really wanna know, either." Naruto then stretched and stood up, "You can watch on the both of them, ne? I want to go and find the Sakura-chan of my time and Toshiro. I'm sure they're in the same way that this Sakura-chan's in."

Sasuke shook his head, "Iie. You're staying. I need to go to Konoha."

Naruto allowed his jaw to drop, "N-Nani!? Can't you even _see _Sakura-chan, teme!? Look at her! She's barely alive!" The Uzumaki then put his hands into his pockets and pulled out the vial he had retrieved from the snake before tossing it to Sasuke. The Uchiha caught it.

"What's this?" Sasuke mumbled and studied the purple liquid with obvious distaste.

"Mm… it's the antidote, and I'm sure _you'll _figure it out." Naruto said, "See, I'm not good with poisons. I know the basics of medical ninjutsu, but not this. That's why I'm going to find Toshiro and Sakura-chan. They're probably in danger; Orochimaru's going after everyone who's in the past that are supposed to be in the future."

The Uchiha was about to complain, but then heard a distressed moan from Sakura. He dropped his head and then nodded, "Yeah, yeah… I'll do it."

Naruto nodded his head. For once, he did not grin. "I'm gonna go and find those two and teleport them to you, got it? Keep an eye on everything, Sasuke." The Uzumaki began performing hand signs, but then stopped. "Oh! And if you go and destroy the village, I'll let Renji and Toshiro do what they want to you. Got it?" The kage then disappeared once he finished lacing together his hand signs in a golden light.

Sasuke scoffed and activated his kekkei genkai to study the purple liquid. '_Damn dobe… Getting me to stay here and do this… I want to look at the Uchiha tablet, and to be honest… I find that **much **more important than looking at this._' Sasuke then glanced down at the still freezing cold Sakura. '_Okay… I find her more important than the Uchiha tablet… TCH._'

Hinata moaned and opened her eyes after about ten minutes. She then saw Sasuke and Sakura, causing her to gasp in apparent shock. She then shook from seeing what Orochimaru had done; in Sasuke's body. She sat up cautiously and watched the Uchiha monarch who was staring into a clear vial with purple liquid inside of it. "What are you doing?" Hinata asked in her soft tone, reaching for the glass container.

Sasuke handed it to her, "It's some sort of antidote, but I don't know what I'm meant to do with it."

The Hyuuga activated her Byakugan and used the ability to see the chemicals used. Being a medic herself, she has seen many of these different poisons. "I see… the poison used on Sakura was one which-…"

A bright golden light appeared, and when it dispersed, there was Toshiro and Renji. The black-haired Uzumaki looked shocked and then looked around, "The fuck?"

Toshiro sat up slowly and opened his eyes (with a lot of blood slipping out). "… Weren't we in the warzone…?"

Hinata's eyes were wide, "That was – was Naruto-kun's j-jutsu."

"Eh?" that came from both of the boys (as in Toshiro and Renji).

Renji spoke up first, "But he – he _died_!"

The Uchiha muttered, "No. He came here earlier, depositing Hinata."

The raven-haired onna's jaw dropped, but then she remembered the task at hand. "Okay… I think I need to add more water into this, along with… pralidoxime chloride…"

The Uchiha scowled, "Where the fuck are we supposed to find the last thing?"

Hinata glanced at Renji, "You know that teleportation jutsu as well, ne? You can take us to Konoha."

Renji nodded, "Yeah… but I can only take one person."

The Uchiha muttered, "I'll go-…"

Hinata raised her hand and shakily stood up, "I'll go. I actually know what I'm look for. Sasuke needs to stay here and watch over the others since he cannot get affected by Orochimaru's genjutsu. _I can_."

The black-haired Uzumaki got up and trudged over to his mother. "Hold my shoulder." He ordered softly before doing hand signs and disappearing (along with Hinata) in the same golden light that his father had used earlier.

The Uchiha muttered something under his breath and then glanced at Toshiro, noticing the blood that was flowing down like tears. "What the hell happened to your eyes?"

The Uchiha heir glared over at his father, "Since this poison destroys chakra, what the hell do you think it'll do to my eyes, asshole?"

'_Tch. What's up with him?_' "What's up your ass?" Sasuke growled.

"Oh, I dunno… It might have something to do with the fact my girlfriend is _dead_ and I can't even avenge her since I'm practically _dying_, ever thought of it that way?"

Sasuke's eyes widened, "N-Nani? Your…"

Toshiro wiped away the blood, but it did not work at all with more crimson liquid falling. "Tch. You wouldn't understand." And he then turned away.

Now that pissed off Sasuke quite a bit. "You haven't lost your family _at all_! Stop complaining."

The Uchiha heir glared over at his father, now annoyed. "So… you're saying that I can't mourn over someone I _love_? What if Okaa-san went and died, Otou-san?"

"I wouldn't allow it to happen." Sasuke snapped right back, "And what makes you think I love her, huh?"

Toshiro smirked, "You're an idiot. You take your revenge to heart, yet you're still around with my mother, huh? I know she would have asked you whether or not you'd leave, and I'm guessin' you said you wouldn't. Whether or not you like it, you're not much of a liar."

Sasuke was speechless; indeed, he did not lie much. He also _did _stay when he could have left. The Uchiha was also hurt when Sakura thought that he would just leave her. The Uchiha monarch also _did not _abandon her, even though he could have without any regret. He stayed. _For her_. Not for anyone else. Heck, not even for himself. He (in his own mind) should have went to Konoha to find out what he wanted. He would have if she was not in as much danger as she was now. It was virtually impossible for him to leave now, especially with the fact he _knows _that she would raise the child she is carrying at this moment on her own if he left now. If he left now, he would never come back. That was how he was. He would find something else to take his revenge out on – perhaps going after the remaining Leaf elders, and their heads on a pike sounded very good to him at the moment. The Uchiha growled to himself; indeed, he _has _fallen for her. Sure, that night he had with her was something else on another scale – even _Sasuke _(the walking icecube) knew that! But when he learned of the truth about his older brother, Itachi, he thought he broke the last bond that he had to the Hidden Leaf (… the one to _her_), but obviously he did not. Sasuke merely responded to his son with, "Hn."

The Uchiha heir then rested his hands against his face, "You know… if I had of said to my father who's in my time that I wanted to avenge Ami, I'm sure he would have disagreed."

The rogue-nin glanced over at his son, "How would you know that?"

"You know…" Toshiro looked up to the now starry sky, "… how Orochimaru showed me a genjutsu? Well, turns out that you – well, my father – had become Orochimaru's vessal because of Okaa-san and I. He wanted to protect us from Orochimaru, but the snake obviously did not honour that deal."

Sasuke's eyes widened, "R-Really?" he stuttered uncharacteristically.

"Mm…" Toshiro nodded and then tilted his head, "… I… I didn't know… And, Okaa-san d… didn't mention anything about it…" The poison was getting to the Uchiha heir again, so he gently laid back down and took a deep breath. His chakra now was basically non-existent, it felt odd not having that… light inside, but he was disturbingly getting used to it.

Sasuke gently ran his fingers through Sakura's soft hair and nuzzled her once more. He had a thing with nuzzling her; he just found that it was… was _right_. "Hinata's getting what you need to feel better," he hugged her closer, pulling her smaller frame closer to his larger one and began idly stroking the small bump located at her pelvic area. "… And I'll protect you." He whispered the vow in her ear. He then added, "The both of you."

* * *

"So… Otou-san's really alive?" Renji asked as he looked around in the hospital for the chemical that his mother wanted. He looked at the labels and scowled when he could not find what it was that he was looking for.

The raven-haired beauty nodded, "At least, that's what Sasuke said. … I thought I heard his voice before I passed out from _Tsukiyomi_."

Renji glanced over at his mother who was looking over the different test tubes containing different chemicals, "… Man, he has some explaining to do."

Hinata agreed with her son, "Yes. I think it'll have something to do with Sasuke. … He's acting like Itachi."

The black-haired Uzumaki coughed, "Eh? How?"

The female Hyuuga pinched the bridge of her nose from the irritation of not being able to find what she was looking for, "… See, he's made a _huge _plan that affects other peoples' lives. I mean, Naruto-kun was _supposed _to have died from Orochimaru's hand and yet, there's a possibility he's actually alive. Sasuke has many other things that he has done as well – _that _I'm sure of.

The sage smirked to himself, "I think it's pretty sick that Toshiro's dad is like one of the biggest masterminds."

Hinata rolled her pearly eyes, "… I guess it is pretty 'sick', but that doesn't mean it's a good thing."

Renji turned around fully, "How so?"

The Hyuuga monarch bit her lip before mumbling, "Itachi failed with Sasuke – Sasuke wanted to destroy the Hidden Leaf and he didn't become the hero of the Leaf. That was what Itachi had wanted for his younger brother."

"Itachi did a shit load for Sasuke, ne?" the Hyuuga heir questioned as he watched his mother.

"Mmhm." Hinata nodded her head. The raven-haired woman then smiled to herself, "Found it!" she exclaimed as she held the test-tube she was looking for.

Renji grinned, "Let's go then!"

Hinata moved to her son and tapped her son on the shoulder as he used his jutsu to teleport them back to where they needed to go.

* * *

The Uchiha monarch ran his fingers through the rose-haired woman's hair. Her smaller body was quivering and her lip was trembling. The medic's eyes reflected the flames that were burning in front of the both of them. He dropped his head to place his chin above her pink-haired head. Sasuke's arms were still encircled around her and he allowed his grip to become tighter in a hope to get the woman warmer. She was… freezing, that much was easy to see.

The same yellow flash from before appeared as Naruto gently laid future Sakura down in front of the fire; her body seemed to be in the same state as the Sakura of this time. Sasuke's onyx eyes fell onto her and noticed that like Toshiro, one of her eyes were bleeding heavily as if it was trying to destroy itself. '_Impossible_.' Sasuke thought to himself and took in the view of this Sakura. He noticed that her rosy hair was a lot longer compared to _his _Sakura.

Within seconds, Sasuke's future-self appeared, seeming to follow after Sakura. His eyes fell onto her freezing form. He then glanced at Naruto. "Thanks, Naruto."

The said blond nodded his head, "Yeah. She got real bad… Is Toshiro fine?"

Future Sasuke looked at his son and took in the look of him; the raven-haired heir was shivering as well, he was freezing. The Uchiha looked down for a moment before muttering, "Fuck… I should have just done something else."

Naruto shook his head, "Iie. Sakura-chan'll be pissed if we didn't do it this way." He then looked around, "Where's Hinata-chan and Renji?"

The Sasuke of this time answered this time, "They're getting some sort of chemical from the Hidden Leaf."

The Uzumaki tilted his head, "Oh? Do you know what it is?"

Both of the Sasukes watched him with a 'are you fucking serious?' sort of look. Future Sasuke gazed at his younger self, "Is she… fine?"

The Uchiha of this time looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. ". . ."

Another flash of gold made all of the shinobi gathered stiffen. Sasuke spoke up first, "Did you get it?"

Hinata looked to Naruto before nodding her head, "I'll begin now. I just… need to go somewhere else to do it, because I need to concentrate."

Future Sasuke nodded before disappearing. Naruto followed Hinata as she walked away; everyone (other than Toshiro and both of the Sakuras) watched them leave.

The Uchiha monarch glanced at future Sakura, "Are you awake, Sakura?"

The rosette who was snuggling up to his warmth murmured, "… She's fine, isn't she?"

Sasuke rolled his shoulders, "She isn't answering…"

The Uchiha heir sat up again and coughed, "… She'd be in the same thing as my okaa-san of this time is going through. … You're protecting my younger self, aren't you?"

The medic of this time stiffened; Sasuke felt it and he watched her with questions appearing in his usually guarded, onyx eyes. "What?" He then activated his Sharingan and looked; indeed, a very thin chakra barrier was surrounding her womb; trying to protect Sasuke's heir. "Sakura-…"

"D-Don't. I know what I'm doing…" she whispered as she closed her eyes.

"No you don't. You're wasting your chak-…"

"I'm _not_!" Sakura's eyes flashed open to reveal a new fire in them (and it was not from the camp fire), "I… I promised myself I would protect him from anything."

The Uchiha monarch closed his eyes, "… Tch, you should be protecting yourself…"

The rosette shook her head, "… No. I won't – I won't keep myself safe just to let my baby _die_."

Sasuke's eyes flashed open again, "Are you kidding me? If you die, the baby is just as good as dead."

"I know that. But… I can't lose him, Sasuke-kun. He's the only…" '_only thing I have left that is **yours**.'_

". . ." Sasuke stayed silent.

* * *

[_Meanwhile_]

Naruto looked around and could not find Renji or Toshiro. The blond knew that the two of them arrived at the battle-field; especially Renji. But now… it was as if the both of them disappeared from sight. He sighed and then looked back up at Obito who was sitting (well, standing) above the gedo-statue. "My, did that Uchiha and Uzumaki brat disappear?" as the mask-wearing Uchiha said that, Madara appeared beside him with his arms crossed.

"Where are Renji and Toshiro!?" Naruto yelled.

Madara shrugged his shoulders, "There was a flash of yellow light and then they were gone. Too bad I couldn't get my hands on the young brat's eyes."

The Uzumaki's eyes widened, "H-His eyes?"

The longer-haired Uchiha smirked, "He is an Uchiha with a capable Mangekyou Sharingan. It would be of better use to a _pure _Uchiha. Not some half-breed."

"He's…" Naruto growled out, "From the same clan as you and yet you think he's some half-breed?!"

Madara cackled evilly, "He's just some brat that was born through a quick fuck. That's all there is to it."

"What?"

Naruto looked around, hearing the voice of somewhere he _never _thought he would hear in quite a while.

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of Uchiha Madara with a ferocious look in his onyx eyes. "Say that again."

Madara's eyes took in the view of the fellow Uchiha before a smirk made its way onto the elder Uchiha's face, "You're merely a genjutsu. You couldn't do _anything _to me."

"You called my son a half-breed…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "… And yet… he's the heir of the Uchiha clan."

The elder Uchiha's eyes widened, "You're the leader of this time."

Sasuke smirked, "Not exactly…"

"I see… you're another one from the future."

"Hn."

"But you can't do anything to stop me from calling your half-breed son a half-breed."

"I can't wait…" Sasuke licked his lips and allowed his own Mangekyou to appear, "… to watch my son kick your ass."

"Hn."

Sasuke then disappeared.

Naruto's mouth was wide. "What the…"

The Uchiha monarch reappeared by the blond's side, "Like I said, my kid and yours will be here to help in a bit. They're in a bit of a mess at the moment."

"S-Sasuke?"

"Hn. No point in explaining anything to you." And again, the older Uchiha monarch disappeared.

Naruto stood there dumbfounded before glancing at his hands, "Huh… Mine and Sasuke's, ne?"

* * *

The Suigetsu of this time stretched his arms, "_Finally_. We have arrived!"

Karin rolled her eyes and lead the shark-teen towards the battle, "… I kinda wanted to help out the other medics."

The white-haired teen glanced at the onna, "Eh? Why?"

She bit her lip, "I'm not that great at combat and healing is really my thing."

Suigetsu nodded, "Hm. I'll take you-…"

A nin from Sand appeared, "What's with all of these random shinobi popping up?" he asked more to himself. "Who are you?"

"Hozuki Suigetsu and this is Uzumaki Karin." The shark answered easily.

"Hm. What village?"

"Eh…" Suigetsu scratched his head.

"D-Don't worry. Y-You're here to help, n-ne?" a meek voice stuttered.

Karin turned her head to see a raven-haired woman with pearly eyes. She was playing with her fingers. The Uzumaki nodded, "Yeah. We kinda wanted to help out Toshiro – speaking of which, has he arrived?"

"The Uchiha?" Hinata murmured.

Suigetsu tilted his head, "An Uchiha?"

Karin nodded, "Yes. He had the feel of an Uchiha to him. He also felt like the kid that Sakura-chan was carrying."

The Hyuuga's eyes widened, "Y-You know about that?"

The sensory ninja nodded, "Mm. I'm the one who told her about it."

Hinata bit her lip, "Come with me. You'll need to speak t-to Naruto-kun."

Suigetsu grinned, remembering Naruto from earlier. "Yeah. That'll be fine."

* * *

"Finally!" Renji exclaimed as he and his mother arrived back at where the poisoned shinobi were resting.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please** **review.  
Updates on Wednesday depends on reviews; quite a few reviews or a review I like will get you this chapter. And no, I'm not holding this story under hostage.  
Expect updates each Friday.**


	11. The Kiss of Life

_Kakashi paced back and forth, he was about to teach his student something that his prodigy had learned. But, his prodigy had used this jutsu against his own teammates and even tried to take the life of the mother of his child with this jutsu. The silver-haired jonin knew that Toshiro would not do anything against his teammates for as long as he lived, however. That was not in the young heir._

_"You needed me, Oji-san?" Toshiro murmured as he made his way into the training grounds that team 7 had once used._

_"Yes." The silver-haired ex-ANBU made his way to his student before crouching at eye level. Of course, Kakashi would test his student. "I need you to answer one simple question."_

_"… That's why you brought me out here?" Toshiro muttered, rolling his eyes._

_"Not exactly. Whatever you say depends on whether or not you learn this jutsu I am wanting to teach you."_

_Emerald eyes became thoughtful, "Depends on what jutsu you're thinking of."_

_Kakashi smirked underneath his mask before shaking his head, "Nah. I'm not going to tell you beforehand. Now answer this question truthfully… What is more important; the mission or your teammates. And explain your answer also."_

_The thirteen-year-old Uchiha turned his head, allowing his spiky, raven hair to spill out everywhere. "**'Those who abandon their mission are scum, but those who abandon their friends are even worse than that.' **You're the one who taught me that; I would never betray my teammates, so they're more important in my books. Not the mission. Even if it started another war, I would save them. I don't care if that makes me a horrible shinobi, or if this stops me from being able to learn whatever jutsu you're thinking of teaching me." He answered, his voice even, but oddly… full of emotion._

_The silver-haired ex-ANBU smiled underneath his mask; that was the answer he had wanted from his student. "Hm… you passed that with flying colours, Toshiro."_

_"Hn." Toshiro bowed his head, "What's the jutsu?"_

_Kakashi decided to tell his nephew why he had asked him that question, "I didn't want to teach this jutsu to another person who would use it against their teammates. … I have used it against mine, and even my prodigy did the same thing. I wasn't – I wasn't going to allow it to happen again. I don't want to see another team like my old genin team, or team 7."_

_"That's why you-…"_

_"Aa. I was hoping that you'd answer correctly, and I was sure you would. But of course I had that tiny bit of doubt in my head, but I'm glad I actually went and asked you that question. It was something I had badly wanted to hear." Kakashi's silver hair blowed gently, "It is also nice to see a student recite what I had told him when we first started training together."_

_The Uchiha heir smirked, "That… That is something that I won't forget, Oji-san."_

_Kakashi ruffled the boy's raven hair, "Good." He then pulled his hand back, "Now, the jutsu I am thinking of teaching you is…" he cupped his wrist and created the jutsu that he wanted to teach his student, "The _Chidori_." Sparks flew off of his hand as the young Uchiha took a step back to avoid being electrocuted by the sparks._

_"Wow…" Toshiro murmured, "I have seen it before, but not this close up."_

_"Aa. That is true, when your mother and I had a few spars." _

_"Yeah…"_

_"Let's get into it then, Toshiro."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"Okay, so we're learning the first – well, the most awesome jutsu I know. … Other than the _Rasenshuriken_, of course." Naruto said as he gazed at his son._

_Renji grinned at his father, "The _Rasengan_!?"_

_Naruto nodded his head, "Yup. Ero-sannin taught it to me when I was about your age, so I thought: 'what the heck!'. … Plus Kakashi's teaching Toshiro the _Chidori_. I thought it'd be nice to see those two jutsu fighting together rather than against each-other."_

_"Eh? What do ya mean by that, Otou-san?"_

_"Another story for another time, son."_

_Renji nodded his head and watched his father create the swirly, blue ball in a matter of seconds and without a _shadow clone._ "Wow!" his mouth was agape, "That's freaking awesome, Otou-san!"_

_"I know, I know."_

_And with that, Renji began learning how to use his father's signature jutsu._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_Toshiro took deep breaths and then looked to see the sparking, blue energy ball which was being cupped in his hands. He then charged at the scarecrow that his teacher had made. "_Chidori_!" he yelled and slammed the jutsu into the scarecrow's chest. He watched the hay splatter everywhere as the jutsu dissipated from his hands. The crimson in his eyes flowed back into its normal emerald hue as he glanced over at his teacher whilst taking deep pants of air._

_Kakashi grinned once more underneath his mask and actually clapped, "You've got it down, Toshiro. Now, for the start… I'd only use this jutsu three times a day. That's your limit. But once your chakra pool grows, you can use it more."_

_"How many times can you use the _Chidori_?"_

_"I don't use the _Chidori _much, I use _Raikiri_."_

_"Raikiri?"_

_"Don't worry, I'll teach you that one a little later. But this jutsu is the one you'll use to protect the people you care about, got it? It isn't for the use of killing someone… or taking down trees… either way, it's for the use of saving people close to you. Don't fail me, Toshiro."_

_"I won't."_

_"I know you won't."_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 11 - The Kiss of Life**

* * *

". . ." Hinata stayed silent as she put in little by little the chemical she had collected into the antidote. She was sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground and had her kekkei genkai activated to get a better look at the chromosomes inside of the antidote as it reacted with the adding of the chemical.

"Hina-chan?" Naruto tried as he crouched in front of her, studying the woman he loved with his kind, blue eyes. "You haven't said anything." He murmured. It was true. She has not said anything of his appearance and he did not get a hug or a kiss or… a 'hey, how are you?'. He got _nothing_. And it made him really worried.

The Hyuuga nodded to herself and glanced at Naruto, "Now isn't the time."

Naruto's jaw dropped, "Are you _serious_? I haven't seen you in – oh, over _eight _years!"

The raven-haired beauty put the cap back onto the antidote. "… What do you want me to say, Naruto-kun?"

The blond bit his lip, "… I know I fucked up – I should have told you, but I… I _couldn't_-…"

"Let me guess," she placed a pale finger against her lips, "It has something to do with Sasuke-san?"

Naruto closed his eyes and drooped his head, "Yeah… but I couldn't share anything with you about it. It would have ruined everything-…"

"You made Toshiro-chan get the Mangekyou. Do you even _know _what it's done to him?" Hinata hissed.

The Uzumaki did not expect this woman to be so angry at him. But he understood. "I… I don't know why I-…"

"_You _could have killed off Orochimaru-…"

"And leave Toshiro fatherless? Yeah, that's a _great _idea. He's an Uchiha at the end of the day-…"

"It would have been better than what both Toshiro and more importantly – _our son _– has to go through because of you and that damn Uchiha!"

"We wanted to fix-…"

"What was wrong with me and you raising Renji? Is it really _that bad_?"

"Sasuke's like my brother, Hinata. Do you… Do you really _think _I could abandon him in his time of need? I needed to help him, Hinata-chan. I just… had to."

". . ." she bit her lip. "You… I thought you…"

"What? What did you think I did?"

"I thought… I thought that you just… gave up on everything… 'cause you couldn't kill someone who looked like Sasuke-san."

Naruto reached his tanned fingers and gently stroked her cheek, "I'm sorry."

She looked down at the now clear purple liquid she was holding in her hands. "I need to mix some water into this before I can give it to Sakura-chan."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Since it's from the Sakura-chan of this time, she should really be the only one who would need to drink it."

"Why would Orochimaru carry the antidote on him, anyways?"

"… I'm sure it was for his own uses. He wants Sakura-chan for himself. … What he said to me, he said that… that Sakura-chan was the only way to settle his _needs_."

Naruto's face scrunched up in disgust, "Fucking pig. Can't he just leave her alone?"

Hinata stood up as Naruto did the same. "There's a stream near where the fire is." Hinata murmured and headed back out of the bushes with the Uzumaki on her heels.

* * *

Sasuke watched as both future Hinata and Naruto emerged from the bushes. He glanced back down at Sakura, noticing that her condition has worsened to the point where she is no longer conscious. She… had done well with being in the condition she was. He noted silently that her breathing had become worse as well. The Uchiha monarch glared over at Naruto and Hinata, "Hurry the hell up – she's going to end up _dead _if you two-…"

Naruto shot him a rather bitter glare, telling Sasuke to shut up. "… Come on, Hinata-chan."

The Uchiha looked down, feeling rather frightened from that look. He had _never _been given a dirty look like that. '_Tch. What the hell is with those two_?'

"… S… Sas…u…ke…ku…n…" Sakura mumbled from the said Uchiha's arms.

His eyes locked back down onto her shivering form, "Sakura?"

She gasped out in pain and then let out a moan that was obviously from pain as well. Sasuke's heart… clenched painfully as he watched her with onyx eyes. He moved his hands down to stroke her belly gently, as if in a hope to soothe her. He then pressed his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss.

'_They need to hurry up. She's…_' the monarch thought to himself.

He then noticed something; tears, falling down her cheeks. "Sak-…"

Renji poked Toshiro, "Oi. Asshole."

The weakened heir glanced over at the other heir, "Fuck off, moron."

The black-haired Uzumaki sat down beside his friend, "Keep on fightin', man. I mean… you need to get your revenge, ne?" Renji knew that these were dangerous waters he was swimming in.

Toshiro's eyes flashed open, the green becoming darker from anger. ". . ."

Sasuke sighed and shook his head before wiping away the tears, "… Come on. It's okay."

The rosette gasped out and her body tensed up, as if she had been hit or stabbed. "… Ngh…!"

The Uchiha monarch pulled her closer, "Fuck." He swore as he sent a wave of chakra through her body.

Her shaking stopped, as if she had been sated and she let out a soft moan. The Uchiha rose a brow, '_Is my chakra helping her? It's as if… it's actually helping her. Hn. Maybe it's because of the baby that her body accepts it easier. Tch. Looks like we do have **some **hope if Hinata and Naruto don't hurry up._'

Toshiro gazed over at his mother and father of this time, "Is she okay?"

Renji looked over as well, "Hm? I should go and check on Sakura of our time, too."

The Uchiha heir shakily sat up and glanced at his mother, "Okaa-san?"

Said woman groaned and rolled over so she could see his face, "Are you okay?"

Toshiro nodded and smirked weakly, "Yeah… I guess for the state we're in, we're doin' pretty well."

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement as he watched the three who came from the future. Sasuke really could not believe that they indeed came from another time. It was obvious that each of them has been through different things, and most of them were not good things. The onyx-eyed man glanced at the long-haired woman, '_I need to talk to her about her time. I want to know some more. But now wouldn't be the best._'

"Toshiro-chan… gomen." Sakura mumbled weakly as she moved her hand forward to touch her son's.

The Uchiha heir rose a brow, "Doushite?"

She looked down and took a weak breath, "It's… kind of my fault we're the way we are now."

The Uchiha monarch decided to stop listening to their conversation for now and focused his attention onto the pregnant cherry-blossom he was cradling.

* * *

"There." Hinata murmured as she flicked her fingers against the clear glass that held the substance which could save Toshiro and Sakura.

The Uzumaki sighed in relief and took the object from her hands, "So… just get Sakura to swallow this and she'll be fine?"

The raven-haired Hyuuga shrugged, "There's not a one-hundred percent chance of this working – it could potentially make things even worse."

Naruto's mouth dropped, "Are you… _serious_? You're risking giving this to Sakura-chan when it could kill both her and Toshiro?"

Hinata nodded, "It's the only way. If we leave them be, there's an even higher chance of her dying; along with Toshiro-chan."

Future Sasuke then appeared, his body seeming to be fading. "… It's the only way to save her."

Naruto watched the master-mind behind the time travel, "What's… you're fading away?"

Sasuke turned his head, "It seems that my chakra is finally running out."

The Uzumaki allowed his mouth to gape openly, "You _have _to be kidding me!?"

Hinata stood up, "I was wondering if this genjutsu would let up anytime soon."

The kyuubi-container scowled and then glanced at his faded friend, "So… you want us to give this to Sakura even though her condition could-…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted and looked down to his hands which were disappearing altogether. "Hurry up."

The two shinobi nodded their heads as Sasuke disappeared for the last time.

* * *

The Uchiha monarch glanced down, he noticed that Sakura was once more completely unconscious and it seemed that nothing would wake her up. He tapped the side of her face with his pale fingers, "Come on. Don't fall asleep now."

Renji glanced over and then folded his arms over his chest, "Toshiro is knocked out too. He's not waking up either."

The raven-haired Uchiha glared over, "Are you _serious_?"

Naruto's son nodded his head slowly, "Yeah… sorry. But he's breathing though."

Sasuke activated his kekkei genkai and checked on Sakura's chakra – it was nearly gone. "Shit." He sent in some of his chakra, but it was instantly eaten away by the toxins in her bloodstream.

Renji muttered a curse, "I saw it too. Fuck. This is _bad_."

"You think!?" Sasuke snapped, his voice becoming unusually loud.

Renji gulped and glanced back down at the heir, "Look… I know that they're both import-…"

"The hell would you know?" the Uchiha monarch growled, clearly not liking the way that Naruto's son was speaking.

"… Okay, I don't. But-…"

"Sasuke, Renji… are they fine?" Naruto asked as he emerged from the greenery with Hinata hot on his heels, carrying the very thing that could possibly save Sakura and the baby.

Sasuke glared, "What do you think?" the red was still in his eyes, and this made his glares even more so deadlier. He was _not _happy about this.

The Uzumaki shot an annoyed look in Sasuke's direction, "Fuck. You're such a fucking rude bastard."

Hinata shook her head and moved to both Sasuke and Sakura. She crouched in front of the both of them. "She can't take this if she's unconscious."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Then inject it into her."

Hinata shot the monarch a glare, "With _what_?"

The Uchiha turned his head. Renji spoke up, "Can't he just like… put the antidote into his mouth and then kiss her?"

Hinata looked to her son and nodded, "I guess. Sasuke?"

The Uchiha nodded and snatched the antidote from Hinata's hands. Using his other hand, he undid the cap and took the liquid into his mouth. It was salty, and he did not like the taste of it. He opened Sakura's lips and then kissed her, allowing the vile liquid to flow from his mouth into hers. She slowly swallowed it.

When Sasuke's mouth was empty, he pulled back and closed the rosette's lips. ". . ."

Naruto had a grin on his face, but then it fell as they waited. "… I think it'll be fine."

"The only way to know is if-…"

Sakura (as in the one from the future) sat upright and stretched her arms. "Oi. It looks like it worked. Toshiro-chan."

Toshiro did the same and groaned, his chakra flaring back up as it fell back into his body. The warmness in his toes and fingertips made him feel a bit better. He stood up (albeit a bit shakily) and stretched his arms above his head before shaking his legs. "… Hn."

Sasuke smirked and watched as the Sakura of his time slowly opened her eyes, "S-Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha nodded and sighed, "Yeah."

Naruto then spoke up, "Since everyone's fine now… what do we do?"

Toshiro helped his mother up and they all headed over to where Sasuke and Sakura were sitting. "… It would be best to take Sakura back to the Hidden Leaf." He said.

Sasuke glanced over at his future son, "… And who will be taking her back?"

The heir nodded to himself, "I guess you will. I'll go too since you'll need _Edo-tensei_."

The kage agreed by inclining his head, "Okay. I'll go with everyone else to hunt down Orochimaru."

Toshiro watched the father of this time, "When Orochimaru was revived last time, it was through Anko. Maybe going to her and reviving Orochimaru would be best. You can kill him then. He'll be rather weak."

The Sharingan-using Sakura nodded, "I get it; take him down while he's still weak. I'll go with Hinata. Naruto, you can find Karin-chan, can't you?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. I can. I'll just need a moment to get into _Sage Mode _to track her down."

Renji glanced at his father, "I'll go with ya. It'll be better to have two sages to search for her; we'll find her quicker. And she's with Suigetsu too. I guess we'll have to get him as well."

The Uchiha monarch spoke up, "Orochimaru's your target, then. What will you do after?"

Toshiro smirked, "Probably kick Madara's ass. That guy needs a good beating."

Sakura shook her head at her son, "Don't let that get to your head, Toshiro-chan." She warned.

The Sakura of this time murmured, "I don't want to go back to the Hidden Leaf." Her voice was rather weak and she was extremely low on chakra.

Sasuke glared down at her with onyx orbs, "You can't fight. You'll be a burden."

She opened her mouth to say something, but her future-self beat her to it. "You should listen to him. You would be a burden. I'm sure that Sasuke wouldn't be paying attention to the fight; neither would I or Toshiro. Many of us would be too busy watching on you. I'm also positive you're unable to walk straight or even wield your chakra. After all, it was forcibly sucked from you only moments ago."

The Uchiha monarch nodded in agreement while the pregnant rosette looked unimpressed. She sighed and snuggled into the Uchiha's chest. "Are you still cold?" he asked, his voice going back to its normal tone.

The rose-haired kunoichi nodded, "Mm. Arigatou, Sasuke-kun."

"Alright," Naruto said and crossed his arms over his chest, "Let's get goin', I wanna kill this snake by the end of today. Well… yeah. Let's go." The Uzumaki (along with his son) disappeared in a yellow flash.

Hinata glanced at Sakura, "Let's go then, Sakura-chan." The two kunoichi then ran off into the wilderness to do what they need to do.

The Uchiha heir glanced down at his mother and father who belonged to this time, "… Let's get going. Are you just going to carry her?"

Sasuke nodded and gently helped Sakura up as he himself stood up. He lifted her so that she was being carried bridal-style; Sakura's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around Sasuke's neck as she closed her eyes to fall back to sleep. "Hn. Let's get going. I want her out of here."

Toshiro bowed his head to show he agreed. "Alright."

The Uchiha monarch then set the pace, one that was not very fast. It seemed that Toshiro knew where he going, so Sasuke followed him without complaints.

"How long until the village?" Sasuke asked after about forty minutes into their run.

Toshiro glanced back at his father, "Maybe another twenty minutes? That's all I have."

"And how do you know how to get there from here?"

"Okaa-san used to take me out of the village a lot when the villagers were… doing things."

"What did they do?"

"… Me being the heir of the Uchiha clan isn't exactly the greatest thing. People in the Hidden Leaf were scared that I was going to do the things you have done; including leaving the village. So, they acted as if they didn't care what I did. They treated me badly by calling me various names and even doing stuff that would be thought of as unsocial behaviour.

"By the time I was about thirteen, I didn't put up with their bullshit anymore and I even got to the point where I had decided to leave the village."

"… Why didn't you?"

"Ami."

"Ami? She was the one who stopped you?"

"Aa… She met me at the Village Gate and told me that she loved me, getting me to stop from leaving the village."

The Uchiha's eyes widened, ". . ."

"I know that Okaa-san was the last one who saw you before you left the Hidden Leaf, but she has never told anyone about it."

". . ."

"What actually happened?"

"… She did the same thing that Ami did, but instead of me returning… I left her on a bench with a word of thanks."

". . ."

"It seems that she is indeed in love with me."

"Are you… happy with that?"

". . ."

"Well?"

"Is now really the best time to be talking about this…?"

"Hn. We have time to waste."

"And Orochimaru is out there. I'd rather keep my guard up-…"

"No, you're just _scared_."

"Hn?"

"Tell me," Toshiro pressed on, "Are you happy with my mother being in love with you."

Sasuke's dark eyes fell to the woman he was holding, her breathing was soft. "… No."

"Doushite?"

"She deserves better than someone like me."

Toshiro's eyes widened, "Are you serious?"

Sasuke glanced at his future son, "What?"

The Uchiha heir turned his head, "She can't… She can't love someone else. Even _I _know that. For whatever reason, she is completely in love with you. Who actually knows why, though. It seems, that she cannot… stop being in love with you. She waited for Otou-san… for the whole entirety of my life."

The onyx-eyed Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction, "What?"

Toshiro smiled to himself, "… She's still waiting, I know that much. Any man would want to be with her; she's the last of the sannin, one of the most powerful kunoichi and has surpassed a former sannin, Tsunade Senju. Yet, she didn't want them. She only wanted my father. … She used to be pained when she saw me."

'_Because Toshiro looks a lot like me._' Sasuke thought to himself, his eyes becoming soft. ". . ."

"… Maybe we should stop talking." Toshiro muttered.

'_He also acts a bit like me; more talkative, but I can tell…_' Sasuke's eyes were on the Uchiha fan on his son's back, '_He is indeed the Uchiha heir_.'

* * *

"Why weren't you ever around?" Renji asked as he gazed at his father with his pearly eyes.

"I couldn't." Naruto muttered and slowed his pace down a little; he could sense Karin and Suigetsu at the battlefield.

"Why not? You were alive after all of this. I mean… if you were alive, we could have all gone after Orochimaru." The Hyuuga heir stated.

"Because, that would involve me killing Sasuke." Naruto told his son.

"… Oh." Renji murmured, "But… couldn't you have still been there and we could have-…"

The Uzumaki interrupted his son, "I needed to awaken Toshiro's Mangekyou."

Pearl eyes widened in shock, "_What_?"

The blond looked down at the ground which had become a blur from the speed that the Uzumakis were travelling. "Toshiro needed more power. This was the only way."

The Byakugan-user bit his lip, "… You, you have no idea how much pain that Toshiro has gone through because of those eyes."

The kyuubi-container smiled sadly, "Sasuke had warned me that this could potentially hurt Toshiro, but hasn't it helped him out more? He is able to protect himself from fatal injury now."

"Yeah," Renji began sarcastically, "That'll be of use to him when he's _blind_."

"There is always going to be that risk when someone awakens the-…"

"What the hell? Are you _serious_? He can fucking go insane now because of that Mangekyou; the curse of hatred is now running through him stronger than ever. It's all because of those eyes. The Susano'o is… is his darkness."

". . ." Naruto's silence seemed to be the loudest thing at the moment to Renji.

"Everyone blamed him for your death. They thought it was because Orochimaru wanted Toshiro's body."

". . ."

"He went through that suffering needlessly."

". . ."

"… Are you _at least _going to apologize to him?"

"I didn't-…"

"_Think_?" Renji cut in, tone as sharp as nails. "Yeah. That much is obvious."

Naruto was getting sick of this; Hinata was pissed at him, and now his son is _extremely _furious at him. He did not want to fight with the woman he loved or their child; he did not find it right. "We're nearly at the battlefield." Naruto stated; he would sort this out later, right now… Orochimaru was the main target.

Renji nodded, his head back into the game. "Let's hurry up and get Karin and Suigetsu."

* * *

The rose-haired kunoichi gazed at the raven-haired beauty to her right, "Are you… fine?"

The Hyuuga gazed at her friend, "What do you mean?"

Sakura bit her lip, "… It has to be hard to find out that someone you love has been alive for all of this time."

Hinata hesitated, but bobbed her head up and down to show that she acknowledged her long time friend. "Yes… I-I am happy, of course – but I think that he – he could have at least _told _me that he was doing what he was doing. It – It was… so, so hard to be without him for as long as I was. Renji suffered a lot because of it as well."

"I know the feeling…" Sakura murmured, "Sure… I knew about Sasuke-kun, but I… I was so _lost _without him."

The ravenette nodded her head, "Yes… exactly. It isn't… It isn't natural to be without the one you love."

The rosette glanced at Hinata once more, "Are you angry at him?"

"A little." Hinata admitted, "And I had a go at him earlier. But to be honest, I am happy he's alive."

"Yeah… same. This was one of those things I didn't know about…" the rosette sighed. "It surprised me though to feel Naruto's chakra after so long."

The pale beauty nodded her head, "Yes… it was nice to feel the warmness in his chakra."

Sakura looked forwards and then spotted the cave that they were at earlier, "We should go and do what we need to do."

* * *

"Alright…" Suigetsu said as he picked up his daughter's corpse, his heart was heavy as he lifted up her weight. Her body was covered by a dark brown blanket, as if to hide her from the rest of the world. The white-haired man's beady eyes were saddened and seemed to lose their brightness to them.

He needed to take Ami's body somewhere; but he was not too sure as of where just yet. He did not want to leave Karin on her own, especially here, but he thought that it would be best. At least there were some good shinobi watching over her. He headed off, away from the battlefield to go and take Ami's body to someplace else.

As he arrived at the thick forest, he began walking through it. It was… like he was aimless, to be honest. "Suigetsu?" a male voice asked.

The said shark turned his head to see both Naruto and Renji. The black-haired Uzumaki's eyes widened, "What are you going to do with Ami's-…"

"That's…" Naruto murmured, "Gomen, Suigetsu."

The missing-nin nodded his head, "… Yeah… I was planning to bury her, but…"

The blond kage moved over to his friend, "Kuso… I don't think that would be best." A quick snap of his fingers, and Ami's body disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Suigetsu's eyes widened as he gazed at Naruto with questions in his eyes.

"I just… sent her to the dimension where _Kamui _resides from."

"How did you-…"

"… It has something to do with the Rinnegan."

"Eh? But you don't-…"

"_I _don't have the Rinnegan."

"Where's Karin?" Renji cut in, getting annoyed with the entire situation.

Suigetsu glanced over at the younger Uzumaki, "She's… with some medical ninja."

Naruto rose a brow, "Why?"

Renji watched on, "You knocked her out."

The bijuu-container sighed, "Are you _serious_?"

Suigetsu shot a glare at the blond, "Shut up, Naruto. I'm sure you would have done the same thing."

The Uzumaki nodded, "Yeah… I would have. Let's go and get Karin then."

* * *

Both Toshiro and Sasuke were now at the Hidden Leaf with the rose-haired kunoichi being held in Sasuke's arms – she was still asleep. The Uchiha monarch glanced at Toshiro, "I'll take her back to her home. Just… meet me at the Uchiha estate."

Toshiro nodded, "Yeah. Alright. Don't take too long though."

The Uchiha disappeared with the rose-haired woman and then reappeared in her house's bedroom. He gently laid her on her bed, his body hovering a little over hers. "Hn… Sakura?"

The pregnant woman opened her eyes and then stifled a little gasp, "S-Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded and ran his index finger along her feminine jaw, "Are you okay?"

Sakura's half closed eyes fluttered fully open, "Yes…"

The Uchiha monarch nodded, "Hn…"

The kunoichi pushed her small hands against his chest, asking him to move. "You need to do what you need to do."

Sasuke did not move at all, "… No, Toshiro can wait a little."

The rosette looked a little annoyed, "You're not leaving Toshiro-chan there to wait for you."

The Uchiha monarch pressed his weight against her, not enough to hurt her of course, "I don't think he'd care much."

"There's a war, Sasuke-kun."

"… Fine." Sasuke got off of her and stood up.

He was about to leave, but Sakura's voice stopped him, "Are you coming back?"

The Uchiha monarch faced her, "… I don't know. The answers I need…" he shook his head, "it all depends on those."

She then bit her lip, "Will you come back to see _him_?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "… What's the point if I choose to stay away?"

Sakura looked down, feeling tears build up in her eyes. "I guess… there would be no reason."

The Uchiha monarch moved back to the pregnant woman, "… If what I find makes me hate the village, what would stop me from destroying it?"

She then asked back, "What's stopping you from doing that now?" the tears were now falling silently down her cheeks and onto the bed's sheets.

Sasuke wrapped his strong arms around her pregnant form, he moved his lips to her ear and whisper, "_You_." Before swiftly knocking her out. The rosette's body became limp and he laid her back down; her head on the pillow. He pulled at the bed-sheet to fully cover her form, as if to stop prying eyes from seeing her. The Uchiha dropped his head and placed a gentle kiss onto her lips before glancing at her window. He headed over to it and opened it before slipping into the outside world.

* * *

Toshiro looked at the Uchiha estate and noticed that it was much different to what he was used to; his mother had repainted it (along with the help of her friends), and that it had this… haunting aura to it. "Fuck…" the Uchiha heir cursed and pressed a hand against the chipped away paint of where his house was (at least, in the future).

"How long have you been here?"

The Uchiha heir turned his head and saw Sasuke walking up to him, with his hands clenched. "Only a little while."

Sasuke nodded, "Alright. You know _edo-tensei_, ne?"

Toshiro bobbed his head up and down, "Yeah. Let me guess, you want me to wake up the kages? I don't think their bodies are here…"

The Uchiha monarch did a few hand signs and the door of the house collapsed, shocking Toshiro who jumped back with his kekkei genkai activated. "I want to look at the Uchiha tablet first; it may be different since I have…" he blinked, "… these eyes."

"Hn…" Toshiro grunted and then headed inside, keeping his Sharingan activated.

"Don't touch anything." Sasuke muttered, a little briskly as he entered as well. He then heard a snort from Toshiro's direction.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please** **review.  
Updates on Wednesday depends on reviews; quite a few reviews or a review I like will get you this chapter. And no, I'm not holding this story under hostage.  
Expect updates each Friday.**

**Notes; **WAH! I wanna kill Obito (like, the one in the anime) 'cause he has a different voice. _Again_. I reckon the people in Naruto (as in the people who make it) are just like:

**Naruto person 1: We should like... change Obito's voice again. -dumb voice u make when impersonating someone you hate-  
****Naruto person 2: Why? o.O  
****Naruto person 1: 'Cause it'll be awesome and our fans WON'T hate it x))  
Naruto person 2: Oh -stupid look- let's do it then :3 :)**  
**-The Next Week-**  
**Me: WHY!? WHY THE -quack- DID THEY DECIDE TO CHANGE OBI-roar-TO'S VOICE TO THIS MOTHER-cock-a-doodle-doo- NEW ONE!? DO THEY -meow- HATE EVERYONE OR SOMETHING!?**

'fore you guys say that isn't funny - I don't give a shiz. I reckon they WOULD do this. I mean... seriously? Obito's voice when he was 'Madara' was WAYYYY better. It was deep and evil and scary and deep and smexy ;3 , but now it's just... like when he was younger and yeah. ... At least Obito sticks with the; all MAIN Uchiha men are ducking smexy xD


	12. The Origin of the Time Travel Jutsu

_"Can you tell me what Otou-san was like?" a ten-year-old Toshiro asked as he sat up on a stool whilst eating his red tomato._

_Sakura rubbed her son's hair, nearly giggling at the look of annoyance on her son's face at the action. "He was… well, he was a kind boy when he was younger – by that, I mean before the Uchiha massacre."_

_Toshiro coughed and glared at the marble table, ". . ."_

_"After the Uchiha massacre, he became infactuated with becoming stronger. He would do _anything _to become stronger. I… saw him train out at one of the training fields, he didn't know I was there… at least, I think so… well, he was there for a good five hours. Training. Pure training. No breaks. No stopping. Nothing. That's all he did. … It surprised me when I was younger, but now I understand why he trained to beat his brother._

_"He wanted to stop the voices that he used to hear before he defeated his brother – the voices of his parents and family." Sakura said in a soft tone._

_"Was this before he was on team 7?" Toshiro asked._

_"Yes. When he was on team 7, he acted as if Naruto and I were nothing compared to him. … I just thought he was trying to be cool, but to be honest… he did, in his own way, care for us. On our first mission in the Land of Waves, we were attacked by some ninja and Sasuke-kun protected me and our client – you remember good, old Tazuna? That was him._

_"Well, he stood in front of me with arms stretched and said '_Stay behind me'_, I thought he did it because… well, for the mission. But he told me that wasn't it. For some odd reason, he wanted to protect me. He showed this on one other occasion… in the Chuunin Exams." Sakura sighed._

_The young Uchiha heir frowned, "The Chuunin Exams… wasn't that one the one where… Orochimaru attacked the Hidden Leaf?"_

_"Mmhm… Sasuke-kun was attacked by Orochimaru who gave him the Curse Seal – a powerful… ninjutsu, as I can put it, which amplifies one's chakra. But the thing with this is that it heightens emotions – anger would become fury, sadness would become sorrow and so on. Sasuke was knocked out, and so was Naruto from using Kurama. See, Orochimaru did something to Naruto's seal… and this made him pass out. _

_"Well, I took the boys to a hideaway where I would wait for them to wake up. But some Sound-nin came and attacked. Lee-san came and helped me out with the Sound-nin, but they overpowered him and badly injured him. A girl, I don't remember her name, attacked me and pulled my hair, saying something about how it was much shinier then hers. She also said that I should have spent more time in my training, rather than my hair. I thought back to the boys who always protected me; Lee-san, Naruto and… Sasuke-kun. _

_"I found some… something inside of me. I cut my hair and vowed that I would become stronger." Sakura rose her fist as if to show a point, "And I fought… Zaku… one of the Sound-nin. But he… he injured me easily since I wasn't much of a kunoichi then. I was… weak. That was the best thing I could put there. Zaku beat me to an inch of my life, and would have killed me if Ino-pig-chan and her team didn't show up._

_"They fought the Sound-nin, but like everyone else, they were overpowered. They fled to hide into the bushes. But then…"_

_Toshiro's eyes perked up, "Is this where-…"_

_"Sasuke-kun woke up." Sakura murmured and then her pink brows laced together, "… He was… covered in marks – much like a tattoo of some sort. He told me to tell him – no _demanded _that I told him who hurt me. I didn't answer. I was too scared to. Zaku spoke up. Sasuke then attacked him, leaving Zaku with two broken arms. Sasuke was about to go after the last guy in the group, but I… I thought to myself_, 'this isn't Sasuke-kun'_ and I hugged him from behind. The Curse Seal faded away and he… he collapsed into my arms. The last standing Sound-nin was scared and gave us our scroll, which is the thing that we needed to collect, and took his teammates and himself away from there."_

_"Woah…" the Uchiha heir's eyes widened, "So… how did Otou-san know that you… cared for him?"_

_Sakura hesitated and shook her head, "I'm sorry… but that's – that's kinda personal for me… It's just… a painful memory then."_

_Toshiro nodded his head and then scowled, "When did… Otou-san become evil – like, to the point where you wanted to kill him?"_

_Emerald eyes widened; she had never told Toshiro about – **Naruto**! "… He took down – well, supposedly – the eight-tails' jinchuuriki. And… I tried to kill him once, but it… it turned out that I was pregnant with you… so I didn't _dare _attack him again. I was too scared too…"_

_The young boy nodded his head and hopped off his stool, having finished his tomato. "Arigatou, Okaa-chan."_

_"If you want to know some more… just ask, yeah?"_

___"Oh yeah, Okaa-chan?" Toshiro murmured as he was about to head off, "Arigatou…" Sakura's breath hitched, her son just sounded exactly like – "… for not hiding this from me."_  


* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
Chapter 12 - The Origin of the Time Travel Jutsu**

* * *

"This place needs a good clean." Toshiro stated as he rubbed his fingers against the desk he stopped at. He rubbed his dusty fingers against his shirt and then scowled. "This place is _way _different to when I lived here."

"You lived here?" Sasuke asked, glancing at his future son with a questioning look.

"Yeah…" Toshiro nodded, "Tsunade-sama gave us the deeds to the place for whatever reason. I don't know why. She said to me that it's because I'm the heir of the Uchiha clan, but I think she was only telling me bullshit."

"How are you the heir, anyways? You may be my son, but I know for a fact that the monarch of the clan has to choose his or her successor." Sasuke said.

The Uchiha heir nodded, "Well… there was some sort of document, but I don't know the details."

'_Maybe my future-self decided to make Toshiro the heir of the Uchiha before he was even born. Sakura must know about it. There is no way that he'd be the legal heir unless something was signed by my future-self, or…_' Sasuke glared at his son's Uchiha symbol, '_… He was instantly given that status since he's one of the last Uchiha_.'

Toshiro noticed that Sasuke was staring at him, "What's on your mind?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "Just… shut up."

The heir became silent.

* * *

Sakura poked Kabuto's still body, "This _is _a really useful genjutsu." She then looked around, "Now… we just have to find Anko."

Hinata nodded and activated her Byakugan. Almost instantly, she found what she was looking for and deactivated the dojutsu. "Okay, she's over here…" the Hyuuga monarch lead the rose-haired kunoichi to where she sensed Anko's presence.

There, on the ground, was Anko. Her body looked pale and she looked to be extremely sick. There was blood smeared on her body along with the wounds to accompany it. Sakura looked disgusted, "Kabuto's one sick bastard."

Hinata agreed instantly and crouched down beside the curse mark-user. Her pearly eyes examined her until Hinata found the seal. "This is the right seal, ne?"

Sakura crouched down as well and found the unforgettable three tomoe that had once surrounded Sasuke's neck. "Y-Yeah…"

The ravenette glanced at her friend, "Are you okay?"

The rosette kunoichi nodded her head a little too quickly, "Uh… yeah, it's just-…"

"That Sasuke used to have one?" Hinata offered. Sakura nodded her head weakly. "… You just, have to not think of that at the moment… I know it's harsh, but it's something you have to do for now."

The Sharingan-user nodded her head, "I know… well, we just have to unseal it, and then Orochimaru should come out."

Hinata glanced over at Sakura, "Should we wait for everyone?"

Sakura shook her head, "No… It'd be best to kill this guy as soon as we can." She then did a few hand signs, "Step back… I'll get him out, then I'll need you to deliver the final blow."

Hinata flipped backwards and allowed her chakra to coat her hands to create shapes that looked like lions. Sakura opened her Sharingan eye and closed her own eye as she stringed together the last hand signs. A burst of smoke filled the cave, but it did not stop Sakura or Hinata from seeing their target.

The raven leaped forwards and struck at her enemy, but as the smoke dissipated, it indeed was not the enemy, rather… it was Kabuto's body. Pearl eyes widened in shock, "W-What…?"

Orochimaru (as in the one of this time) cackled from in front of Sakura, his hands quickly wrapped themselves around her throat as he pulled the rosette upwards. "My, my…" he examined Sakura's kekkei genkai, "Sasuke-kun's… ne?"

"F…" Sakura tried to string together her words, even though her air supply was running out, "F… uck… y… ou…!"

Hinata lunged once more to hit Orochimaru, but he dropped Sakura and disappeared in his signature snakes only to reveal the Orochimaru who was controlling Sasuke's body. The body snatcher's mouth turned into a sick and ferocious grin which would haunt young children. "You didn't think that I would keep protection on my younger self?"

Sakura took a deep breath of air and allowed her crimson eye to create a deadly glare, "Fuck you…"

The body snatcher rolled his eyes, the red beginning to swim into the gold, "… Do you _ever _say anything else, Sakura-chan? Too bad you guys saved your younger self, then I wouldn't have to put up with you _weak _shinobi." Orochimaru placed Sasuke's fingers over his mouth thoughtfully, "I have to say though, I did not expect Naruto-kun to be alive. Hm… lucky break for you, Hina-chan."

The raven glared down at the ground, clearly annoyed about it. "Shut up…" she whispered, her eyes becoming saddened a little.

Sakura glared at Orochimaru, "Bastard."

Orochimaru laughed and then rolled his eyes at her, "You're extremely hopeless, Sakura-chan."

The rosette felt a hitch of pain through that. His words really stung her. Her eyes dropped, ". . ."

Hinata looked back up and licked her lips, "We need to find Orochimaru's younger self. And then we'll kill him."

Sakura nodded and allowed her chakra to flow into her fists, "I'll fight him. I'll… know a little bit about what he can do."

Orochimaru watched on with amusement, "How would _you _know what I can do?"

The medic smirked, a very bitter one at that, "I have Sasuke-kun's eye; I can see what he could do."

The Hyuuga watched Sakura, "But… that eye hasn't been in Sasuke's sockets for over twenty years."

"I can't be taken down by genjutsu from the Mangekyou or _Amaterasu_. The only thing that would work would be…" she smiled, "… the _Susano'o_, but I'm sure you can't use it for too long."

The snake sannin swallowed down his spit, "I can use the _Susano'o _for as long as Sasuke-kun can."

Sakura smirked, "… No. You're only _using _his body – much like a puppet. One who controls another can _never _be of the same strength as the one they are controlling."

The body snatcher's eyes glowed crimson as black flames were aimed directly at Sakura, only to have them sucked up and absorbed by her own Mangekyou. The atom-like pattern spun dangerously in both Orochimaru's eyes and Sakura's eyes. The snake sannin was shaking with what seemed to be anger. "Shut up, bitch!"

The rose-haired medic smiled, "You're saying that 'cause you know I'm right."

* * *

"Have you gotten what you needed?" Toshiro asked as he watched Sasuke read from the Uchiha tablet. At the moment, Sasuke was using his basic Sharingan, but then it swirled before becoming the Eternal version of his Mangekyou. "Obviously not." The Uchiha heir mumbled while he turned his head.

"You should be reading this too, Toshiro." Sasuke stated.

"I already know what's on it. I read it a few years ago."

"With the Mangekyou?"

"… Yeah."

"So you know how every shinobi got their chakra?"

"Hn."

"This also mentions something about time travel."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed as he gazed over at the tablet, his eyes swirling into his Mangekyou as he read over the plate.

"'_The time travel jutsu was the first created by the Sage of Six Paths. He used this jutsu to supposedly stop disasters. The jutsu manifested in his eyes._'" Toshiro muttered and then glanced at his father, "Maybe it has something to do with the Rinnegan? I know that the Sharingan didn't exist until the Sage of Six Paths had two kids; the Senju ancestor and the Uchiha ancestor. The Senju ancestor was the one with sage chakra – much like my _Sage Mode _and Renji's. While the Uchiha ancestor was able to use dojutsu, which is basically the Sharingan and later, the Byakugan. When an Uchiha's and a Senju's DNA mixes, it can possibly create the Rinnegan."

Sasuke nodded his head, taking in the information given to him. "So, the Senju and the Uchiha are related."

Toshiro bit his cheek thoughtfully, "The Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju, while the Hyuuga are distantly related to the Uchiha. … So there is the possibility of an Uzumaki and a Hyuuga unlocking the Rinnegan."

"And what's the point of that?" Sasuke asked, referring to Toshiro's mention of the Hyuuga and the Uzumaki.

"It means… that Renji's father, Naruto, could potentially have the Rinnegan."

Sasuke shook his head instantly, "Iie. Naruto has no idea how to use dojutsu, and there would be no use in him having that. He has the body of the Sage of Six Paths."

Toshiro nodded, "Yeah… I guess that's true. He still sucks at genjutsu. So… that means that you will somehow unlock the Rinnegan."

The Uchiha monarch ran a hand through his hair, "Naruto may have given my future-self his DNA. You did say that the Uzumaki were related to the Senju."

Toshiro smirked, "I think that's what happened. But how would Otou-san have learned how to make the jutsu though. There has been only a few instances of the time travel jutsu – and that was with the Sage of Six Paths."

"If my future-self does have the Rinnegan, then why has Orochimaru never used it?"

"I… don't know."

Sasuke scowled, clearly not liking this.

"But, maybe both Otou-san and Naruto activated the Rinnegan." Toshiro stated.

"Hn. That might be plausible." The Uchiha nodded his head.

The Uchiha heir then thought of something, "Where'd you leave Sakura?" Toshiro asked.

"At her home, why?"

"Hn. Are you planning to return to her?"

". . ."

"Tch."

Toshiro glared at his father before straightening himself up. "Let's go and revive the kages now."

Sasuke nodded and followed his son's retreating form.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama…" Katsuyu murmured as she looked over her master's body which was torn into two pieces. It was a miracle that the busty kage was still alive, but the slug princess knew that status would not stay that way for long; Tsunade needed medical treatment. Katsuyu could have given her master that, but Tsunade said no. She wanted her summoning to heal the other kages.

Gaara and Ay were nearly healed while the Tsuchikage and the Mizukage still needed to be healed quite a bit before they were out of the danger zone. Tsunade weezed and coughed up a good amount of blood, "Katsuyu…"

"I should be healing you, Tsunade-sama." The slug whispered.

"No… these guys need to be healed." The blonde said.

"But-…"

"No, Katsuyu."

* * *

"Eh? Juugo?" Karin mumbled as she awoke from her… well, rest.

The large, orange-haired brute was with the few medics around the red-haired woman. "Are you feeling fine, Karin?"

The medic scowled to herself, remembering that Suigetsu knocked her out. "I guess… Hey, do you know about us?" At Juugo's nod, Karin stood up and dusted herself before thanking her fellow medics. "We should go and find the others. … And Ami, while I'm at it."

"She's…"

". . ."

"I'm… sorry." Juugo said and dropped his head.

"… I-It's…" Karin was upset and wanted to cry, but now was not the time. And shinobi did not show their true feelings, even in severe circumstances. But that did not mean that Karin could not take vengeance on her daughter's death. "Who… Who killed her?"

"Uchiha Madara." The orange brute answered.

"He's as good as dead." She snarled bitterly.

"Revenge isn't-…"

"She's my _daughter_, Juugo. Do you really think I'd let that damn Uchiha get away with this?"

"You saw what vengeance did to Sasuke, Karin. Is it really best to follow-…"

"Mine is different. I wouldn't back-stab someone's back just to get what I want. I'm _nothing_-" Juugo flinched at Karin's tone, "-like Sasuke."

"But-…"

"Shut up, Juugo."

The kind man shook his head and quietened down, finding it best to not aggravate her anymore than she already has.

"Hey, Karin-chan!" a voice yelled, stunning both Karin and Juugo.

Suigetsu pushed past the many medics and then crouched down in front of the crimson-haired kunoichi, "Look, I'm sorry I-…"

_Slap_!

Juugo's eyes widened and Naruto and Renji (who were following Suigetsu) watched on, stunned.

Karin ripped her hand away from the shark's face, "Don't you _ever _knock me out. You've done that so many times before, you bastard."

Naruto's clear blue eyes widened in realization. He then turned to Suigetsu, "You _knocked her out _when you left?"

The purple-eyed nin scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. He then used his other hand to rub his now sore cheek. "Uh… yeah…"

"Fuck… you pulled a Sasuke…" Naruto then shook his head and looked to Karin, "We should probably go to that cave now. I mean, Hina-chan and Sakura-chan might need our help."

Suigetsu and Karin looked at the blond with a little confusion, before Karin realized. "_You're alive_!?" she screamed and pointed at him accusadly.

The blond looked down, "Eh… yeah…"

"What the fuck-…"

"Now's not the time, Karin-chan." Suigetsu sighed and stood up straight before offering his hand to her, "Like I was about to say before I was slapped; I'm sorry for knocking you out."

She took her hand and groaned before standing up and stretching. "Don't do it again."

Suigetsu nodded and then looked at Naruto, "What's going on now?"

Juugo wanted to know as well, so he spoke up, "Yes. Telling us what is going on would be helpful."

Naruto glanced at the calm man, "… You should stay, Juugo. You shouldn't really get mixed up in our matters."

The orange-haired rogue-nin frowned, "Why can't I help?"

"Toshiro has told you about what Orochimaru's done, ne? Well… it'll be hard for you to help us out since if you die, the Juugo of our time would as well. So just stay here and help out Sasuke when he comes."

"Sasuke's coming?" Juugo murmured, "What could have possibly happened for him to do that?"

"Might have something to do with Sakura-chan… I mean, he learned of her pregnancy _a lot _earlier than he did before." Suigetsu said.

"Yeah, I think it would. Plus, he knows about all of us as well." Naruto added in.

Karin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Shit. A lot of stuff's happened, ne?"

Everyone (other than her and Suigetsu) nodded their heads. "We should probably go now. We have another day or so of this war." Renji stated.

* * *

"So _this _is why you learned _edo-tensei_." Sasuke stated as he stared down the four kage lined up in a neat line.

"Yeah…" with a snap of his pale fingers, the undead kage opened their eyes.

The First Hokage looked down at his hands, "Eh? I thought I died."

"You did. We just… need your help." Toshiro stated.

Tobirama looked sceptically at the two Uchiha standing before them, "Why would two Uchiha want our help?"

Sasuke looked annoyed, "You make it sound-…"

Toshiro bowed his head, "I know it's rude of me to call you here, but we do need your help. There's a-…"

The blond kage spoke up this time, "A war going on. We know. There's a huge clash of chakra. From the feel of it, the nine-tails is there too… that means…"

"Yes. Your son, Uzumaki Naruto, is fighting in the war." Toshiro tilted his head at Sasuke, "This is Uchiha Sasuke."

Minato's blue eyes widened in realization as he openly gaped at the Uchiha monarch, "You're the one my son is chasing after."

The Uchiha heir sighed, "Now's not the time for that, Minato-sama."

Tobirama looked at the heir with a little confusion, "This cannot be right."

The two raven-haired Uchiha looked at the Second Hokage with bewildered expressions.

"It seems you're from the future… but I never thought I'd see another using that jutsu."

"Itachi-oji mentioned something like that as well." Toshiro said and then scowled, "There was another who used this jutsu to correct the future?"

The white-haired nin nodded his head, "Hai. Some young man who insisted that the world was on a disaster course. He said that another war would break out – I'm sure it has nothing to do with this one since he stated it would happen in my time."

"Was Itachi alive then?"

"I'm sure he was… but he was rather young, from memory." Tobirama said.

"You knew Itachi?"

Hiruzen then spoke up, "You're Sasuke, ne?"

Sasuke nodded.

"I suppose… you know of Itachi then. You're not going wild over when we mention your older brother's name. Instead, you get a saddened look in your eyes."

The Third then glanced to Toshiro, "You're Sasuke's, ne?"

Toshiro nodded, "Hn."

Hiruzen scratched his chin, "This does explain a bit. I'm sure Itachi wouldn't have taken the risk of fathering a child, but I would have never expected Sasuke to be the one who-…"

"_Enough_." Sasuke snapped.

Five sets of eyes were on him now. Minato spoke, "What do you need help with, Sasuke?"

"I want to know…" Sasuke's onyx eyes fell onto the Third Hokage, "Why did you order Itachi to…" Sasuke shook his head, "I killed Itachi… to take revenge for my clan. After that, I heard the truth from Tobi and Danzou. I decided to take revenge against the Leaf. However…" Sasuke looked down before looking at the Third with his eyes and ears ready to hear the truth of what had really happened. "I want to hear it from you… Everything about Itachi."

Hiruzen looked down, in what seemed to be regret. "I… see." He then frowned to himself before explaining, "After forcing him to kill his fellows, we accused him to be a traitor… and eventually even had him watch over the Akatsuki, alone. Ever since Itachi was little. He realized the teachings and seals of the ancestor when it seemed that others did not care about them. He was… very sensitive and could perceive things about shinobi and the origin of the village…

"That's probably why he was never bound by his clan, and was able to think about the future of shinobi and the village. … He was very anxious about that. At the age of seven, his reasoning was just like a Hokage's. We entrusted everything to him alone, and he carried it out… considering it to be only a mission – _his _mission. He murdered his fellows, stopping the insurrection, and thus averting the war that would have followed… all alone.

"He went as far as to enter Akatsuki as a spy to protect the village. This, at the condition that I would protect _you_." Hiruzen said and then looked down at his hands. His eyes then fell back onto Sasuke who looked to be in a large amount of pain. The Third's eyes then fell onto the other Uchiha whose eyes had unconsciously shifted to his kekkei genkai.

Sasuke murmured, "It's… true then…"

Tobirama then spoke his pieces, "It's the cursed destiny of the Uchiha. I didn't know they were annihilated… so they even tried to organize a coup d'etat… I was expecting that clan to do something like that sooner or later. They were rebellious elements that secretly followed Madara's will."

"That's bullshit." Toshiro growled out, "Not all of the Uchiha followed that man's will."

The white-haired kage watched the now angry heir who was glaring menacingly at him, "I never said that _all _Uchiha followed this. A few, such as Uchiha Kagami did not follow Madara's will."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "You have an obvious distaste towards the Uchiha."

Hashirama glared at his brother, "You shouldn't persecute the Uchiha!"

Both of the Uchiha's rose a brow.

"I made them into the military police because that would be a role that they would be good at. I did that to be able to promptly deal with the issue in case a new Madara showed up. You know it well too… the Uchiha are… a clan possessed by evil."

A frightening glare fell onto Sasuke's usually composed features.

Toshiro spoke up, "Are you scared of the Uchiha or something, Tobirama-sama?"

The red-eyed kage looked down, "You don't know Madara…"

Sasuke straightened up, but his tone indicated that he was still indeed… angry. "Second Hokage, I'll ask you… What is the Uchiha clan!? … What do they know!?"

Tobirama crossed his arms over his chest and hugged himself tightly, "… The Uchiha clan and our clan, the Senju, have fought for a long time. Originally, the two were enemies."

Sasuke just looked annoyed, "You think I don't know that… What the hell do you mean by 'possessed by evil'!?"

". . ." Hashirama stayed silent and looked to his brother.

"Whilst the Senju clan considered their power power to be love and not jutsu… The Uchiha thought jutsu above anything else."

Toshiro nodded weakly, "Even I know that – every Uchiha wants to become stronger by learning more and more jutsu."

The Second nodded his head, "Aa. That is correct." But then he shook his head, "But really… that's not true… No other clan treasured love as much as Uchiha… That's why they sealed that off themselves."

Both Toshiro's and Sasuke's eyes widened, "N-Nani!? What the hell do you mean!?" Sasuke growled out.

"When a member of the Uchiha knows love, it's as if the feelings they were blocking out arise. They awaken something even stronger than the Senju's power of love…"

Toshiro nodded his head and looked at his fists before clenching them, "Hai… You get to the point where that person you love is the most important thing to you… and that if they died, you'd be sure to kill of whoever took them away from you."

"Yes… an Uchiha's love is much too strong, and they end up running wild. When an Uchiha that has known love loses it… It turns into an even greater hate and changes that person. I have seen that happen many times. And every time, there is a certain symptom."

"… The Sharingan, ne?" Toshiro murmured weakly.

"… When an Uchiha suffers after experiencing the loss of a loved one or despair, special chakra sprouts inside of their brains which affects the optic nerve and produces a change in their eyes. Like you said, time traveller, it is 'the eye that reflects feelings'… that Sharingan." Tobirama said in his deep tone. "The Sharingan aligns with the person's feelings and quickly makes the person stronger… together with the hatred in their hearts. … Indeed, there are many sensitive people among the Uchiha. Almost all of the ones who experience strong emotions are captured by darkness and evil. The deeper their darkness becomes, the more powerful their eyes get. Then it becomes impossible to handle them, like in Madara's case…"

The First Hokage spoke, completely serious. "Madara really loved his little brother… Probably even more so than your own brother."

Tobirama closed his eyes, "I wanted to channel the Uchiha's power into something that could be of help to the village. However, if they ended up destroying themselves for the sake of the village… that cannot be helped. By doing so, they were of use to the village, in a way."

Hashirama let out a growl before yelling, "Tobirama, would you stop talking like that!? The one you're speaking to is a pure Uchiha child!"

The Second Hokage shook his head, "What's important is the village. The village is the point. You should understand it, brother…"

Sasuke's Mangekyou activated as it began spinning in his eyes like wildfire, "I don't care. I'm not a child… nor am I pure."

Toshiro glanced at his father and looked back at the kage, ". . ." He had no right to speak at this very moment.

"… What is the village? What are shinobi in the first place… First Hokage, I want you to be the one to answer this…" Sasuke muttered, his Mangekyou Sharingan still present.

The First Hokage touched his chin and closed his eyes, as if in deep though. "What is… the village and shinobi?"

"Itachi… my brother was used by the village. Still, he risked his life to protect it… and died being a proud Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf." Sasuke stated, remembering his brother's words from earlier. "He killed his comrades, and he himself died to protect the village. What is it exactly?" The Mangekyou became apparent in Sasuke's eyes once more, but it was in its original form rather than the Eternal Mangekyou form he had used before, "And the shinobi who created all of this… What are they? I want to hear the truth from you… before I make my decision."

Toshiro frowned, "You're going to make your decision depending on what you're told be the First Hokage. Are you even taking Okaa-san into consideration? Are you really going to leave her behind to raise a child on her own, again?"

The Uchiha monarch glared over at his son, "I never asked her to bare my child."

The Uchiha heir glanced down, his facial expression showing hurt. ". . ."

Sasuke then continued what he was saying, "Whether to take my vengeance on the Hidden Leaf… or to…"

Tobirama growled out, "Revenge on the Leaf!? You were also possessed by the Uchiha's evil, brat… I am going to…"

Toshiro interrupted him with, "If that is the case, Naruto and I will stop him. I am a Hidden Leaf shinobi as well. I won't let the Uchiha's name be tarnished anymore because of my father."

The Second Hokage's eyes widened, "You… You would take out your own father?"

Toshiro nodded, "… Like I said, I'm from the Hidden Leaf. I _won't _allow the Uchiha's name to be wrecked any more than it already has been. Now let the First speak to him."

Sasuke's eyes were on his son, ". . ."

Hashirama then glared over at his brother, "Don't. Tobirama… I wish to speak to him."

"_Why_? If he doesn't get what he wants, the brat will attack our village. I won't-…"

"Let my son and this boy take care of it." Minato said as he gazed over at Toshiro, "It's odd, but I feel as if I should trust you. And I will put my faith in you, Toshiro."

Hashirama then looked to Sasuke and then grinned, "You indeed had a great brother, Sasuke. He's a _way _better shinobi than even me." His serious facial expression fell back into its seriousness from earlier. "… I can talk about the village to you, but I assure you that it'll be a long story."

Toshiro spoke up, "There's not much time. Just tell him what he wants to know."

Hiruzen frowned, "Because of the war, ne?"

The Uchiha heir nodded, "I have to help Okaa-san deal with Orochimaru."

The Third's eyes widened, "Huh?"

"He's… causing trouble in this time period, that is why me and some others came here to sort it out."

"Alright…"

Minato, Hashirama and Tobirama looked at one another before nodding their heads.

Hashirama planted his hand against his head and groaned out, "This world is always at war…"

Tobirama nodded his head, "Indeed, there's a really strong chakra… in a 2 o'clock direction."

Minato gasped, "N-Naruto? He's…"

The white-haired kage glared at Toshiro, "Allow us to leave, young Uchiha. I can sense Madara's chakra – if we don't do anything about, the world could possibly end."

Toshiro shook his head, "I can control you with the _edo-tensei _and make you say what you need to say. … Don't make me do that, I don't like controlling people."

Hiruzen snarled out, "We can talk about this later! It'll be bad news if Madara-…"

"Sasuke could easily destroy the Hidden Leaf right now and I would keep you planted here… or better yet…" a sick smirk made its way onto the heir's face, "… I could make you watch."

Tobirama growled out, "You said you wouldn't-…"

Toshiro tilted his head, "You're pissing me off. I have my own vengeance I need to deal with."

The more outspoken kage dropped his head in defeat, "Fine then. Hashirama?"

"Fine… I shall tell you what you want to know…" Hashirama muttered, "I have no clue to what you'll choose, Sasuke. If I ignore him… he could become a new Madara, and I'm sure his son… will be involved in that."

Sasuke stiffened, "I wouldn't involve them in my affairs."

Hashirama then sat down, "Well… that's really for you to decide, now isn't it? Oh well… where should I start from? Hm… Right, maybe from the beginning, ne?"

* * *

"Shit…" Sakura mumbled as she began steadily healing a cut from Kusanagi.

Orochimaru grinned, "My, my… the _Chidori _is rather superior when used with this blade, ne, Sakura-chan?" the snake giggled as he ran a finger along the bloodied blade. Sakura's blood. "Perhaps, rather than keeping you alive as my… _pet_… I could easily clone you."

"You-…"

"But what fun would that be, at the end of the day? I want to hear you scream for me to stop… I'm presuming you've kept yourself for your _precious _Sasuke-kun. But at the end of the day, you were just a quick fuck for him. That's all. He has been with so many women who are _prettier _and more _talented _than you. Why would he stick with _just you _when he can get whatever he wants with those looks of his? You're a mere waste of space… I mean, you may have raised _his child_, but at the end of the day… he never really wanted a kid. _Especially with you_."

Hinata glared over at Orochimaru with her white eyes, "You're a liar. It's obvious that Sasuke's doing what he's doing _not _for himself, but for his child and Sakura. It's so _easy_ to tell."

"Obviously, you both don't know Sasuke-kun."

"… I know," Sakura stood up straight, her Sharingan eye tightly closed, "Was with other women… probably before _and _after me. … But I don't care. I know… that in some way… he cared for me. He – He was going to return for our child. But then you – you came and took everything away from him, knowing full well that he would do anything so that he would not lose everything again."

"Hina-chan! Sakura-chan!"

A loud blond (along with the others) dashed onto the scene. Naruto gazed over the snake bastard, "You've been in that body for far too long."

Orochimaru cackled, "I'm rather used to this body, but it would be nice to have another one… ready for me."

"T-Toshiro-chan…" Sakura whispered, her heart slightly afraid.

"Of course, he's the only Uchiha (other than Sasuke, of course) left in our time."

"But you – you tried to _kill _us."

"Plans change – so do situations, Sakura-chan."

* * *

The pregnant kunoichi sat up and rubbed her head before groaning a curse, "Sasuke-kun knocked me out… _again_." Her eyes then saddened, as she knew that the raven-haired Uchiha may not even return to her. '_Do you… Do you care for me?_' she thought to herself before shaking her head and laughing to herself bitterly. '_… No. You wouldn't care for me… it's only Toshiro-chan you care about. … But you… you're the one who – who saved me._'

She rested the heels of her hands against her eyes, "Fuck! You left me behind, like usual." She then moved her hand to her stomach and rubbed it tenderly. Her eyes softened as she felt the baby growing inside of her move – that was one of the first times that she has felt the baby move like that. "Even if Sasuke-kun doesn't return… I – I have a piece of him…" her rubbing became softer, "So… beautiful, my little baby boy…"

"And – And I can be assured that my baby will be good…" she smiled to herself, remembering how Toshiro was. He was… very similar to the man she loved, but different. And oddly, that was a good thing. "I love you." She whispered as she hugged her stomach, "I love you so much. I can't afford to lose you... t-that would kill me…" tears were threatening to fall, "I've… I've already lost Sasuke-kun… I won't – I won't allow myself to lose _you_ as well."

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please** **review.  
Updates on Wednesday depends on reviews; quite a few reviews or a review I like will get you this chapter. And no, I'm not holding this story under hostage.  
Expect updates each Friday.**

* * *

First of all, Merry Christmas everyone!  
**Sasuke: Do you honestly think they care?  
**Meh... it's called being nice - something you _don't _know.  
**Naruto: BURN.  
**-highfives Naruto- Now, back to what I was saying-...  
**Sakura: Something about making another arc after-...  
**SHUSH. Alright, so you guys know, after this... as in _Puppet or Not? _I might make another... sort of arc. It will be connected to this story (as in it won't be posted up as a sequel), of course, but it's up to ya'll what I do.  
_Toshiro: Will I still be around?_  
-monotone- No. You'll die.  
**Sakura and Sasuke: WHAT?  
**_Toshiro: -glares- Yeah. As if.  
_I will kill you off if you don't shut up.  
_Toshiro: __You've already killed Ami...  
__Ami: Toshiro-kun?  
__Toshiro: Hn? -glomped-  
_Everyone (other than Ami and Toshiro): o.O  
**Naruto: OMG! AMI'S ALIVE! CAN WE BRING BACK NEJI!?  
**It's plot-no-jutsu, Naruto.  
**Naruto: Eh?  
**-sighs- Either way, this new 'arc' will still hold... people from the future or whatever. Meh, I know what I have planned but it's up to you guys whether or not I actually write it. Again, Merry Christmas from my... OCs and me. I'm not too sure about the Naruto crew though.  
**Sakura: Merry Xmas! Don't forget to brush your teeth!  
****Naruto: Eat all the ramen you can!  
****Sasuke: -looks at palm card- FUCK NO. I am not saying I love all of you - 'cause I don't.  
****Sakura: -anime tears-  
**Well... Sasuke's got no 'fun time'.  
**Sasuke: . . . FINE. I love you all and wish you a BLOODY Christmas.  
**You forget to say good in between - Oh... You're SO messed up. 

Well, that was... completely not serious. I can tell the amount of flames I'm going to get from that... whatever.  
For the fiftieth time, Merry Christmas - or happy whatever holiday you're celebrating if you're not into that.


	13. The Downfall

_"Your pregnancy's going well, Sakura." Shizune said as she looked at her charts. _

_Sakura grinned, "That's really good, Shizune."_

_The black-haired medic looked at her fellow medic, "I still can't believe that this child is…"_

_"Yes, but Sasuke-kun's back now."_

_"But… for how long? I'm sure his hatred for the Hidden Leaf is still strong. You might have to decide whether or not to leave the Hidden Leaf with him and your baby."_

_Sakura knew of this, but then shook her head. "Sasuke-kun wants to become Hokage, I highly doubt that he'll leave unless he completes his goal."_

_"Plus Naruto…" Shizune mumbled, "Those two still haven't talked to one-another after…"_

_The rose-haired kunoichi nodded her head, "I know, I know. That fight… well, it was huge. I'm surprised that one of them didn't die." '**Plus… Naruto did say that if they fought again, they would both die. I'm… happy they couldn't kill each-other off.**'_

_"That fight… was massive. Luckily you and Hinata-san were there, I'm sure that they would have done more damage if you two weren't there."_

_"No… I don't think they-…"_

_"From what I know, Sasuke doesn't want you to see his bloodthirsty side again."_

_"Huh?"_

_"I looked over his records when he had his sessions with the therapist."_

_"Oh… wait, why do you have access to them?"_

_A mischevious twinkle appeared in the dark-haired woman's eyes, "Oh… being Tsunade-sama's apprentice really does give me many benefits."_

_"Including the one with Kakashi?"_

_"Eh? How the hell do you know about that!?"_

_"Now I know for sure you two are dating."_

_Shizune pursed her lips before looking the other way, "Fine, fine. Think what you want."_

_"What… What else was on Sasuke-kun's records?"_

_"Um… it's obvious that he did lose his sanity for a while, especially when team 7 reunited at the bridge. The way he talked…" Shizune sighed, "Well, he was definitely insane from the way he talked, but it was obvious that he regained his mind when he talked to the kages."_

_"Okay."_

_"Alright then, I think you can go. Now remember, just because you're on your fourth month, it doesn't mean that the baby is completely out of the danger zone of miscarriage."_

_Sakura swallowed, "I – I know that, Shizune-sempai."_

_Shizune shook her head and ruffled Sakura's short hair, "I know you and the baby will be fine, Sakura. But we do have to take precautions."_

_"I want to know something…" Sakura mumbled and looked into her sempai's eyes, "Are there… any people still out for the Uchiha?"_

_"Um, not that we know of."_

_"That's… That's good. I don't – I don't want people to come after him… I mean, that would… that would be horrible to have the Uchiha heir being chased around like that."_

_"He's the heir?"_

_"Y-Yeah. Sasuke-kun did what he needed to do to make him the heir."_

_"Have you thought of any names for the new heir?"_

_"No…"_

_"Oh, well. I should let you get on your way then, Sakura."_

_Sakura stood up from her chair and headed back out to head towards the Uchiha estate._

_. . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"How'd it go?" Sasuke asked as he sighed into the hair of the mother of his child._

_"The baby's fine, Sasuke-kun."_

_"Hn. You seem to have something on your mind."_

_"Did you – Did you hold back with the fight against Naruto?"_

_Sasuke pulled out of their embrace and watched her with sceptical eyes, "Why would you ask that?"_

_The rose-haired kunoichi tilted her head, "Did you… Did the both of you not go full out because Hina-chan and I were there?"_

_"How in the hell did you…?" His eyes then narrowed, "Damn that Tsunade…"_

_"No. Shizune-sempai was the one who told me…"_

_"Hn? Why?"_

_"I don't know, I think it might have slipped."_

_"Hn. Then yes, the dobe and I did hold back."_

_"So… if you had of went full out-…"_

_"I would have kicked his ass-…"_

_"I… I don't think-…"_

_He growled at her, "Don't you think I could beat someone as stupid as that asshole?"_

_"No… it's just that…"_

_Sakura then gasped and clutched her stomach. "Shit…" she mumbled._

_Sasuke moved back to her and activated his Sharingan at the same time, "Are you…?"_

_"No, no." She smiled, "The baby just kicked." She grabbed his hand and moved it to her baby bump, allowing the Uchiha to feel the infant's kicks. His eyes softened before he sighed against her cheek. "What is it?"_

_"I understand why you think the dobe would win… I mean, you saw him train and become stronger. You didn't see me."_

_"Hm… No, it's just that…"_

_"Just what?"_

_"Nothing, Sasuke-kun."_

* * *

**Puppet or Not?  
****Chapter 13 – The Downfall**

* * *

"Hinata!" Sakura yelled and looked to her raven-haired friend, "_I _want to be the one who fights Orochimaru, you go and find his younger self and kill him!" the rose-haired kunoichi yelled and then charged forwards with her kekkei genkai blazing in her socket. A swift punch was precisely aimed for the snake's stomach, but he countered it by dispersing into crows and crows' feathers.

Hinata nodded her head and ran off, using her Byakugan, to find Orochimaru's younger self.

Snakes flooded out from Orochimaru's sleeves, in a hope to capture Sakura. The medic dodged by using a substitution, turning her into a log.

The raven-haired man used his speed and easily grabbed the rosette's throat before slamming her into the ground. She sputtered up spit right into his face, pissing off the ex-sannin. His grip on her throat tightened, "Let's see…" he mumbled as his red eyes began spinning at an incredible pace before final changing into the Mangekyou form.

"No – you can't even-…"

"These are _Itachi's _eyes. Not Sasuke's. That means…"

Sakura's eyes became glassy. "Who am I, Sakura-chan?"

She smiled, "Sasuke-kun."

The snake cackled and moved his hands down, only to be interrupted by a stone. He looked up and saw Naruto, Suigetsu and Karin standing there with the white-haired shinobi holding a rock. "Hey… how about not using Sasuke's genjutsu to fuck his girl?"

Orochimaru hopped off of the rose-haired kunoichi and moved backwards, "Do you… actually care if I end up taking her, ne?"

Karin looked angry, "That's… horrible, Orochimaru."

Naruto frowned, "For someone like him, it isn't low. It's something that… someone like him would do." The blond used his speed to get to the kunoichi who was still under the effects of the genjutsu and moved her unseeing form behind a rock to make sure that it would not be hit by possible shuriken and kunai that may be thrown. "Guys, protect her. Got it?"

Naruto's cousin glared at him, "Do you really think _I _would not protect her."

Suigetsu, on the other hand, scoffed out, "Sasuke'd have my ass if I let something happen to her."

The three shinobi who just joined the fight prepared themselves. Naruto frowned; he was somewhat glad that Renji went to Konoha to rendezvous with Toshiro – that would make things a lot easier for the father of one. "Alright. We'll attack as a team." Blue changed into silver within seconds.

"What – you…?" Orochimaru's eyes widened, "I see… that's how you left behind a body to make it look as if you had indeed died. I would have thought that Sasuke would have been the one to activate the Rinnegan. Then again, I have no access to anything of that calibre and I don't sense it at all in his eyes. Plus, I have done my fair share of experiments-…"

"You... really think that I was the one out of the both of us to unlock the Rinnegan? Ever thought that Sasuke might have done some tampering to make sure _you _couldn't have access to it. How the hell do you think that _all of us_ got to the future? You ended up here when Sasuke accidently sent you here, luckily, he was able to send you away from Toshiro, Renji and Ami. You ended up elsewhere. Sasuke then sent me in since you were here, and later, sent in Suigetsu and the girls. Suigetsu was with them to begin with – as in the girls. He just… recovered before they did.

"My Rinnegan can create physical objects; such as bodies, kunai and heck, even flowers – however, it can only create things which _aren't_ alive. Sasuke, on the other hand, could use jutsu originally from the Sage of Six Paths."

Karin's eyes were wide as globes, "You both… You both have the most _powerful _dojutsu, yet you didn't do _anything _to help us at all!?"

Suigetsu, who was unfazed by this, glared over at the red-haired Uzumaki, "They couldn't. Naruto isn't the best at using the Rinnegan, and can only make physical objects, but we can tell that he can possibly have other abilities. He just… doesn't use them – actually, he _can't _use them. I don't know why though. Sasuke's really good at the time and dimensional side of things. Oh yeah, Naruto also has access to _Kamui_'s dimension. … But that's it."

Orochimaru licked his lips, "What did Sasuke do to stop me from... taking him over, huh?"

Naruto's clear eyes narrowed dangerously, "I wouldn't… tell you…" He then glanced at his pink-haired teammate, "Sakura-chan… she needs the teme as much as he needs her. That's why I… I would never allow you… you to unlock the Rinnegan, the very thing that he vowed to use to protect her and their son… I'm not – won't allow you to use the Rinnegan for your own sick needs."

Orochimaru clapped, oh so slowly, and cackled, "As touching as this is, I really don't give a rat's ass, Naruto."

* * *

Renji walked into the room where the kages and the Uchiha monarch and his son were. Almost instantly, all sets of eyes (other than his own) were on him. "Oi, oi… it's just me." The dark-haired Uzumaki looked to his teammate who looked somewhat relieved. "Did I… miss anything?"

Tobirama rose a white brow, "Are you another time traveller?"

Sasuke nodded his head, "Yeah. There is a lot of them."

The Uzumaki sighed and scratched his head before looking at Minato, "Shit… it's _true _that Ojii-chan looks a shit load like Otou-san."

Minato seemed to notice as well, "You look like Naruto."

The kage's son grinned, "Well… I am his son, after all."

Hashirama spoke up, "You're a part of the Hyuuga?"

Renji nodded.

The First smiled, "That's a pretty cool heritage, boy."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and looked to his father, "Have you… decided yet?"

All eyes (again, other than Renji's) were on Sasuke, awaiting his decision.

Sasuke closed his eyes; flash backs of his dear, elder brother filled his head – the things that Itachi had sacrificed _just _for Sasuke. The Uchiha monarch thought of how much Itachi cared for the village, to the point where he would do a mission that would destroy the Uchiha. Lastly, Sasuke thought of how much Itachi _indeed _loved his younger brother. Pink then flowed through Sasuke's mind; Sakura. The thought of her raising a child… on her own. Even though he would never openly admit it, it _scared _even Uchiha Sasuke. She… She did not deserve that. She also did not deserve to become pregnant at such a young age.

She was not ready.

Neither was he.

Would he be a good father to his son? Sasuke does not know.

Would Toshiro turn out to be like Sasuke – as in, become a missing-nin? Again, the Uchiha monarch did not know.

Did Sakura deserve better than Uchiha Sasuke? Yes. Definitely yes.

And Toshiro… would Toshiro hate Sasuke? Sasuke… does not know.

Sasuke knows of how crappy the future is for his son and Sakura… would staying with them help? . . .

'_Sakura…_' Sasuke thought back to the night where she and him… when they… _made love_. When they… created life together. She… She thought he thought of that as some quick _fuck_. That was not… That was not what it was; it was something else altogether. It was… it was… even Sasuke could not describe it – then again, Sasuke was _never _any good with his emotions. His mind was the only place where he would allow… 'what if's and 'what would's happen.

Physically though, he could show what he felt. Like he did so with Sakura. Sasuke himself had been with many, many women. That… That was something that now disgusted Sasuke. He should have waited, but he was a man, was he not? His hands eventually became… useless to getting rid of his stress. It did not help that Sasuke imagined some of these women as Sakura – he performed things that he had seen in his head to those women, but he imagined them as _Sakura_. … That, that made him a bad person in a way. But… he would never, ever be able to do what he had done to some of them. The way… The way he took them, so rough… so… harsh. He could not take her like that… He had to be gentle with her, as she was delicate.

No, he did not think of her as a weakling. Her name… what does that mean? A cherry blossom is… delicate. Gentle. Gentle. He begged himself when he made love to Sakura. Those… Those things were the only things he could think of. He did not want to scare her off. … He has already hurt her emotionally, and hurting her physically… would be another thing he would not forgive in himself.

Sasuke knew that Sakura would… forgive him if he did not return. But… would he forgive himself? _Ever_? No. No he would not.

The Uchiha monarch _did not _like the thought of someone – someone taking her as theirs when she was… she was _his_. Nobody else's.

But then, if Sasuke did return to the Hidden Leaf, what would everyone think of him? A lot of bad things, that was for sure. Toshiro was treated badly for what Sasuke had done – betraying the Hidden Leaf and allowing himself to become Orochimaru's next body.

Would Sasuke's hate for the village and the elders take him over? Sasuke was not sure.

But, Sasuke knew one thing for sure… He wouldn't allow the village (the thing his brother worked so hard for) or Sakura and Toshiro be wasted. He would not.

Opening his eyes, onyx eyes seemed to be clearer. As clear as they had ever been. "We're going to the battlefield."

Toshiro and Renji smiled (smirked in Toshiro's case) at Sasuke's decision.

The kages then looked to Toshiro. Minato spoke, "Will you allow us to fight?"

The Uchiha heir looked down, "Look… I won't have enough chakra to take all of you."

All of them looked to Minato. The Third spoke up, "Your son is there. Meet him, Minato."

The blond kage's eyes widened, "Are you – Are you _sure_?"

All of them nodded. Hashirama patted Minato's shoulder, "You know… it wouldn't be nice to leave your kid out there…"

"I can take one more." Toshiro stated.

The Third scratched his chin, "I don't think I'll be of much help, especially when it comes to Madara. Since he's a fire-user, maybe Tobirama would be smart?"

The wiser Hokage of the bunch looked at Third, "If that is what you want."

Hashirama frowned, "But I want to fight Madara."

Renji decided to speak, "Hashirama would be best since he has already got knowledge on Madara, plus he is a water-style user as well."

The Uchiha heir nodded his head, "Hai. Gomen, Third-sama, Second-sama…"

They nodded and soon, their bodies dispersed.

Sasuke looked at Toshiro, "Why can you only take two of them?"

The heir of the Uchiha frowned, "It's because I want to use my Mangekyou when fighting Madara and Obito – I'll be weak without it."

Renji sighed and looked at both Minato and Hashirama, "Hey… Sasuke, can you take them to the battlefield? We kinda need to help out with Orochimaru."

Toshiro, whose eyes narrowed dangerously, glared at the ground, "Yeah. We need to get rid of that bastard in case he decides to interfere with this war." The Uchiha heir glanced at his father, "I swear… if you do anything… I will make you pay, got it?"

Sasuke swallowed, but nodded his head nonetheless as he watched both Renji and Toshiro disappear in a golden light. The Uchiha monarch glanced at Minato and Hashirama, "You two go to the battlefield first, I have something I need to do."

Minato rose a blond eyebrow, "What is it you need to do?" he asked as he slipped out a kunai to play with.

Onyx eyes stayed on that kunai for a moment before meeting up with clear blue eyes, "None of your business."

Hashirama grinned playfully, "By any chance, does it have something to do with the time-traveller's mother?"

Onyx flicked over to crimson within moment, "I said: _none of your business_." His voice was rough and gravelly with what seemed to be anger.

The First Hokage let out a howl of laughter, "Kami! You're rather touchy, boy. Well, Fourth and I'll be goin'. Actually show up at the battle-field, ne?" he winked and the two of them walked out of the room, ready to head off and do what they need to do.

* * *

The Uchiha reappeared at Sakura's home. He slipped inside of the same window he had exited from, only to have a kunai fly out the window. "Sakura?"

The rosette poked her head into the room; she was clad in a pink robe. "Sasuke-kun? Why are you here again?"

Sasuke moved towards her and grasped her smaller hand in his before pressing his pale lips against hers. He pressed her body up against a wall as he continued attacking her lips with gentle kisses.

She broke the kiss and pushed at his chest, "What are you doing?"

He nuzzled her throat before slipping his hands inside of her robe, only finding her naked form. The rose-haired woman gasped in surprise and moaned when his hands found their way to her soft mounds. He ran his fingers up and down her breast and then gripped at her nipples, earning himself a squeak. "G-Gentle…" she breathed. "Sensitive…"

Sasuke nodded and lightened his grip before moving his head back to her neck, "… Hn."

"Stop." She sighed after a moment of him pleasuring her. She pushed against his chest, and this time he actually listened.

He moved his hands up against the wall, as if to trap her. He then noted something; she was shivering. "Sakura-…"

"Don't." She hissed out, her talking becoming broken up as she shivered.

Sasuke's eyes widened, "You – You can't possibly-…"

"I'm sorry… I just…"

". . ."

"… As much as I want you here I-I can't… I can't do this 'cause…"

"'Cause you're scared I'll hurt you, ne?" his tone was harsh and cold.

"No – it's…"

Sasuke pushed himself off of her and walked backwards, "Sakura."

". . ."

His eyes narrowed, "You shouldn't fear me."

". . ."

"I… I know what I did to you… was… was something that I can't… I can't apologize for. I just… I don't know why I-…"

". . ."

"You tried to kill me first, Sakura."

". . ."

"You may say you don't hate me, but I-…"

"I love you…" Green eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"…!" Onyx orbs widened considerably.

* * *

"Geh…" Renji groaned and rubbed his back, "I have no clue where that cave is…"

Toshiro glared over at his teammate, "You should be able to find your father's chakra easily. Knowing him, he would be already there." His look turned thoughtful, "I think… I can feel Okaa-san's chakra."

Renji grinned, "See! It's good we're on the same team, you can-…"

"Now isn't the time."

"… Look, I know you're in a shitty mood, but it's best to be… in a good mood, at least somewhat. There's a chance that Orochimaru can kill the both of us – we're not invincible."

"I know that."

"Which bit?"

". . ."

"I know… you've just lost Ami and I'm sure you're still as pissed as hell. But… do you think she would want you to become so angry over her death? Do you think she'd want you to take vengeance, just for her? I don't think so."

"Shut up, Renji…" Green flooded into red with three distinct tomoe spinning like wheels, "What the hell would you know, huh!?"

"Toshiro, I'm just meaning-…"

"You haven't lost someone you have _loved _with everything you have, have you!? So shut the hell up!" Toshiro then ducked his head, his raven bangs hiding his emerald eyes, "I never – I never ever told her that I loved her… and now that she's gone…" The Uchiha heir's fists tightened, "I can't even… say anything to her…"

Renji's pearly eyes widened, "Toshiro…"

The Uchiha heir then heard a noise, he gazed over (with hardened eyes) to where the sound came from. "Oi… there's something over there." He headed through the shrubs and saw Kusanagi and two headbands.

"N-Nani?" Renji squeaked and bended down to pick up a headband, "It's the Hidden Leaf's-…"

"Otou-san… he would have been the one who put them here…" Toshiro said as he picked up his father's katana, "Orochimaru never had this on him. I'm surprised that he didn't, but that isn't…"

"So, your father decided to give you his old sword, ne?" Renji asked and picked up Toshiro's headband and handed it to him, "For someone who once hated the Hidden Leaf, he seems pretty damn happy for us – no, _you_ – to fight with it."

Toshiro nodded his head wordlessly and slipped the katana into his other sword's holster, oddly enough, it fitted. Then, he put his headband on, the metal glinting in the very, very small amount of light. "We should get going then."

Renji nodded, already having his headband on, and they headed off once more in the direction of where Toshiro felt his mother's chakra.

* * *

"_Why_?" Sasuke asked and moved back to sit on the rosette's bed.

"I…"

"How can _someone like you _like _someone like me_?"

"I don't know…"

"How can you _not _know?"

She gently petted her stomach, as if in a way to calm herself. ". . ."

"Sakura…"

"…?"

"Thank you…"

Breath hitched in Sakura's throat as she watched the avenger on her bed look up at the ceiling nervously. He then stood up and faced Sakura, embracing her midsection. It was a gentle hug as he rested his head against her shoulder. Sakura's fingers unconsciously tangled in the young Uchiha monarch's hair. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Thank you…" he whispered once more, his grip becoming tighter, "Thank you for loving me… even though… I'm the way I am."

The rosette waited for him to hit her in her pressure point once more, but did not feel it come. She was surprised. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"I'll… come back, after the war. But only to see you. I won't allow the Leaf to… capture me. I already know how to get into the village undetected."

". . ."

"And it'll be before he is born… Please, find out when his due date is, Sakura."

"H-Hai…"

"… Don't cry."

She nodded her head, and pulled away from his hug. He kept his arms around her, but allowed her to see his face. It was scary; there was no anger, hatred or… any negative emotion or feeling on his face. … He was _calm_. She let out a whisper, "Sasuke-kun… promise me…"

He bobbed his head up and down and ran a finger across her jaw before moving in to nuzzle her neck, "I… Uchiha Sasuke," '_His hair tickles_.' Sakura noted, "will return for you, Haruno Sakura. Or…" he looked up at her, "Uchiha Sakura, if you wish."

The rosette's eyes widened, "N-Nani?"

He smirked, "Become the Uchiha's matriarch, Sakura. I wouldn't have anyone else…"

"Sasuke-kun…" she pressed her soft lips against his, he instantly responded with his own to create a fierce and passionate kiss that's heat could be felt from Sakura's finger tips and toes. 'Yes.' She mouthed against his lips. Impossibly, he added more force and she soon found herself on her bed. "You can't do this now, Sasuke-kun…" she whispered and watched up at him with intent eyes, "There's a war… Naruto-" she noted that he stiffened from her best-friend's mention, "-and the others _need _your help, Sasuke-kun. Return to me. _Alive_."

"If not…" Sasuke muttered and moved his head down to her stomach, "He's my heir, got it? And you will be the Uchiha matriarch… understand?"

"Don't – Don't think like that."

"… I have to, I have to take everything into consideration."

"I love you."

"Aa…" Sasuke nodded his head, as if to agree before placing an innocent kiss against her lips. His body then dispersed into flames that did nothing to harm Sakura.

* * *

"_Rasengan_!" Naruto screamed as he planted a _Rasengan _into Orochimaru's chest. The snake obviously did not expect it. Naruto's orange eyes narrowed as he pushed the blue ball deeper into the sannin's chest. "Bastard!" the kyuubi-container snarled as Orochimaru flew back, his back slamming into the stone walls of the cave.

Nobody dared to interfere with this fight; it was obvious that Naruto wanted to face him.

Orochimaru coughed and then moved his hand down to his stomach to heal any internal injuries that would have been caused by the wind-style jutsu. "Shit…" he cursed and then glared over at Naruto who was taking deep breaths as the golden flames danced around him.

"I will… make sure you're dead!"

"But… if you do that…" A smirk made its way onto the bastard's face, "… you'll kill Sasuke-kun."

The blond's eyes widened in realization before he looked down at the ground, "Fuck…"

Renji groaned, "Are we there yet?"

The man by his side growled out, "No, you fucking moron."

The black-haired Uzumaki turned his head, clearly not wanting to get into a big fight with the Uchiha heir.

The Hyuuga heir then glanced at Toshiro, "Fuck… you're even moodier than usual. I reckon that when we get back to the future, Ami'll be alive. I mean… we belong to that time. Maybe she'll have her memories erased and she-…"

"What if that doesn't happen, huh?" Toshiro spat, "This isn't some game; this is _real life_. Our lives are in danger, and she lost hers…"

Renji did what every friend would do, he turned on Toshiro and punched him fair in the face. ". . ."

Shock flickered in the raven-haired man's eyes before his eyes softened, "Thanks…"

"Jeez… never have I thought I would have needed to hit you…"

"Let's go. We're nearly-…"

"You're Sasuke-kun's kid… my, my… you really do look so much like him." A voice said, shocking both of the heirs.

Renji activated his Byakugan, "Shit…"

"Let me guess, Orochimaru?"

"Mmhm…"

Toshiro allowed a smirk to fall onto his face as the Orochimaru of this time appeared. "Seems like we're the ones who are gonna kill him…"

Renji stood beside his best-friend with a straight posture, "Well… how about we show this bastard what the two heirs of the most powerful clans can do."

The Uchiha heir nodded and slipped his hand into his holster to take out Kusanagi, "I think that would be fun…" Sharingan activate as it began spinning in the Uchiha's sockets.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as Toshiro's eyes turned into the Mangekyou, "I-Impossible! You couldn't possibly have achieved-…"

Renji disappeared from both Toshiro's and Orochimaru's eyes only to reappear behind the snake, "He watched my father 'die' to gain it."

Toshiro's body shimmered before he came back into sight to fling the snake against a tree.

'**Use me, Renji**.' Kurama's voice snarled inside of the Uzumaki's head. Renji grinned and activated Kurama's chakra as it coated his body like elastic. "Hm. Thanks, Kurama!"

The Uchiha heir glanced at his friend and nodded before allowing an evil smirk make its way onto his face, "How should we punish him?"

Renji licked his lips, "How about… _Tsukiyomi_?"

Orochimaru's eyes widened, "Why – Why are you…?"

Toshiro's eyes locked with the snake's as he was dragged into a genjutsu.

"Hm…" Renji grumbled and watched intently as Toshiro watched unblinkingly at the snake. "Toshiro?"

"What is it?" the Uchiha heir muttered, his eyes not leaving Orochimaru's glassy ones.

"How are we going to take him down, I know that we're torturing him now but-…"

"Painfully."

"Huh?"

"You're the one who wanted me to do the _Tsukiyomi_. I'm sure you want him to suffer as much as I want him to."

"Yeah, but we need to help with the war. I wanted you to use _Tsukiyomi _to make sure that nothing's planned. Knowing Orochimaru, he'll have things in place so that he can't die easily."

Toshiro frowned and closed his eyes, breaking the genjutsu as the snake's body slumped forwards. He reopened one of his eyes, veins were spread across the white of his eyes as blood leaked out like tears. "_Amaterasu_." And like that, Orochimaru's body was engulfed in flames.

* * *

"What… the hell?" Sakura muttered as she sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Naruto's eyes were wide, "S-Sasuke?"

Sakura's own eyes went to where Naruto was staring; Sasuke's body. His eyes were closed, but the purple lines around his eyes were slowly receding. Fangs no longer hung over his lips and his skin was no longer a sickly white. His eyes reopened to reveal midnight onyx.

Finally, the Sharingan vanished to reveal emerald in Sakura's eye.

* * *

Obito glared at Kakashi. The air was still as they were in the other dimension. The silver-haired jonin was injured and had various scratches on his arms, legs and on his chest. He was taking deep breaths as blood slid down slowly from his Sharingan eye. "Obito… why? Why didn't you come back?"

The Uchiha looked furious, "_Why_?" Such a venomous tone, "You killed _her_, Kakashi. She was the _only _light in my life, and you took her life."

"But-…"

"I know why you took her life, and to be honest… I'm not here to get revenge on you. I want to do this genjutsu so that I can see her and so that _we _can be a team again."

"That's… not right, Obito. You can't just go and create a whole new world."

"If I create a new world, there will be peace. Those who destroy the peace… will vanish."

"Obito! If you do this, she won't be real… She won't be Rin!"

"She will!" Obito screamed as his fists clenched together in a way that looked to be painful, "She'll be more real than this nightmare!"

'_… If I hadn't… If I hadn't of killed her, Obito wouldn't be like this. He would have been fighting alongside us. But…_' "'**Those who abandon their mission are known as scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse...**'" Kakashi paused to take a deep breath, "… But those who don't consider their friends feelings, are the worst."

The Uchiha's eyes widened before they once more continued their brawl.

* * *

"O-Otou-san?" Naruto muttered, his eyes as wide as globes. He could not believe that his father was here.

Minato turned his head, "Your friend… he's coming here too. He has some things he needs to do in Konoha."

'_He…?_'

"Wait," Naruto said and gripped his father's cloak, "What the hell is Sasuke doing in Konoha?" Naruto's thoughts went to his pink-haired teammate – she could be in danger if he is indeed in Konoha.

"He's… with Toshiro's mother."

"Eh?" Naruto then realized, "Oh yeah, Sasuke's future-self said that Toshiro's his kid or something."

"Yes…" Minato nodded, "Now, we should go and win this war, son."

Naruto grinned, he was ready to defeat Obito and Madara.

* * *

**Disclaimer; **_none__ of the manga references are mine, __nor__ are the original __NARUTO/NARUTO SHIPPUDEN__ characters mine. I am merely __borrowing__ them._

**All the mistakes are my own.  
I accept constructive criticism (nothing too harsh).  
Please** **review.  
Updates on Wednesday depends on reviews; quite a few reviews or a review I like will get you this chapter. And no, I'm not holding this story under hostage.  
Expect updates each Friday.**

* * *

**Notes; **at the moment, I have terrible writer's block. I mean, it took me AGES to get my ideas on paper. Roar. Well, Orochimaru's finally gone. Yeah, yeah. I'm waiting for people to say - OH THAT WAS TOO QUICK. Seriously... Orochimaru has been alive for far too long. And I wanted Toshiro to take him out. Yes, Orochimaru is powerful, but remember... he didn't take his powers back from Kabuto. So what does that mean? It means that he was weak. He also still did not have the ability to his arms. So... it was easy for Toshiro to take out his Orochimaru's younger self, therefore, getting rid of the Orochimaru from their time. Meaning, Sasuke's back.

Also, this chapter was short, but remember what I said: I have writer's block. So, it was really hard for me to even write a few paragraphs. But it's not totally short though, when you think about it. Oh well.


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